7xxx series aluminium alloys have important applications in the aerospace industry. Understanding Environmentally Assisted Cracking (EAC) in these alloys is clearly relevant to vehicle safety and operational lifetime.

This project will involve the use of multiscale and in-situ investigation methods to test and quantify the EAC performance of new generation 7xxx alloys. Using these methods, we aim to develop a more complete understanding of the mechanisms involved thus allowing more reliable prediction of the EAC risk of an alloy as a function of alloy composition, alloy microstructure and the environment.