Metallic article with improved fatigue performance and corrosion resistance

Abstract

A metallic article with improved fatigue performance and resistance to corrosive attack and stress corrosion cracking is produced by treating a first area of a metallic article with a first surface treatment that induces a specified amount of cold work. A second, sacrificial area of the metallic article in electrical communication with the first area is treated with a second surface treatment that induces an amount of cold work higher than that of the first surface treatment. Due to the differences in cold work resulting from the different surface treatments, the second area of the metallic article is less noble than the first area and is therefore more susceptible to corrosive attack. As a result, the second sacrificial area will preferentially corrode leaving the first area protected from corrosive attack. Compressive residual stresses induced in the surface of the metallic article through the surface treatments improve the fatigue performance and resistance to stress corrosion cracking.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.