A Comparison of SCC Behaviors for Two States of Fe(85)Ga(15) Alloys in a 3.5 wt % NaCl Solution

The new magnetostrictive material Fe-Ga alloy has drawn considerable attention due to its excellent performance. The microstructure of the Fe-Ga alloy, which varies with the state of preparation or processing, not only affects the magnetostriction but also the mechanical service stability, i.e., the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) property. In this paper, we report a comparison of the SCC behaviors for two states of Fe(85)Ga(15) alloys by using constant load experiments and the electrochemical method. Results showed that the hot-rolled Fe(85)Ga(15) alloy exhibited better mechanical properties compared to the as-cast Fe(85)Ga(15) alloy. SCC was found in both Fe(85)Ga(15) alloys in a 3.5 wt % NaCl solution, and the as-cast alloy was more sensitive to SCC. The normalized thresholds of SCC for the as-cast and hot-rolled Fe(85)Ga(15) alloys are 0.34 and 0.81, respectively. Furthermore, results also indicated that the SCC mechanism is an anodic dissolution for the Fe(85)Ga(15) alloy.