Corrosion Resistance of Hard Coat Anodized AA 6061 in Citric–Sulfuric Solutions

Incorporation of Anions into Anodic Alumina-A New Track in Cr(VI) Anodizing Substitution?

Aluminum technical alloys are well known for their outstanding mechanical properties, especially after heat treatment. However, quenching and aging, which improve the mechanical properties, by the formation of Cu-rich zones and phases that are coherent with the matrix and block the dislocation motion, cause uneven distribution of the elements in the alloy and consequently make it prone to corrosion. One method providing satisfactory corrosion protection of aluminum alloys is anodizing. On an industrial scale, it is usually carried out in electrolytes containing chromates that were found to be cancerogenic and toxic. Therefore, much effort has been undertaken to find substitutions. Currently, there are many Cr(VI)-free substitutes like tartaric-sulfuric acid anodizing or citric-sulfuric acid anodizing. Despite using such approaches even on the industrial scale, Cr(VI)-based anodizing still seems to be superior; therefore, there is an urge to find more complex but more effective approaches in anodizing. The incorporation of anions into anodic alumina from the electrolytes is a commonly known effect. Researchers used this phenomenon to entrap various other anions and organic compounds into anodic alumina to change their properties. In this review paper, the impact of the incorporation of various corrosion inhibitors into anodic alumina on the corrosion performance of the alloys is discussed. It is shown that Mo compounds are promising, especially when combined with organic acids.

Corrosion Resistance of Aluminum Alloy AA2024 with Hard Anodizing in Sulfuric Acid-Free Solution

In the aeronautical industry, Al-Cu alloys are used as a structural material in the manufacturing of commercial aircraft due to their high mechanical properties and low density. One of the main issues with these Al-Cu alloy systems is their low corrosion resistance in aggressive substances; as a result, Al-Cu alloys are electrochemically treated by anodizing processes to increase their corrosion resistance. Hard anodizing realized on AA2024 was performed in citric and sulfuric acid solutions for 60 min with constant stirring using current densities 3 and 4.5 A/dm2. After anodizing, a 60 min sealing procedure in water at 95 °C was performed. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Vickers microhardness (HV) measurements were used to characterize the microstructure and mechanical properties of the hard anodizing material. Electrochemical corrosion was carried out using cyclic potentiodynamic polarization curves (CPP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in a 3.5 wt. % NaCl solution. The results indicate that the corrosion resistance of Al-Cu alloys in citric acid solutions with a current density 4.5 A/dm2 was the best, with corrosion current densities of 2 × 10-8 and 2 × 10-9 A/cm2. Citric acid-anodized samples had a higher corrosion resistance than un-anodized materials, making citric acid a viable alternative for fabricating hard-anodized Al-Cu alloys.

Electrochemical Corrosion of Titanium and Titanium Alloys Anodized in H2SO4 and H3PO4 Solutions

Titanium and its alloys have superior electrochemical properties compared to other alloy systems due to the formation of a protective TiO2 film on metal surfaces. The ability to generate the protective oxide layer will depend upon the type of alloy to be used. The aim of this work was to characterize the electrochemical corrosion behavior of titanium Ti-CP2 and alloys Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo, Ti-6Al-4V, and Ti Beta-C. Samples were anodized in 1 M H2SO4 and H3PO4 solutions with a current density of 0.025 A/cm2. Electrochemical tests on anodized alloys were carried out using a three-electrode cell and exposed in two electrolytes, i.e., 3.5 wt % NaCl and 3.5 wt % H2SO4 solutions at room temperature. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to observe the morphology of anodized surfaces. The electrochemical techniques used were cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP) and electrochemical noise (EN), based on the ASTM-G61 and G199 standards. Regarding EN, two methods of data analysis were used: the frequency domain (power spectral density, PSD) and time-frequency domain (discrete wavelet transform). For non-anodized alloys, the results by CCP and EN indicate icorr values of ×10−6 A/cm2. However, under anodizing conditions, the icorr values vary from ×10−7 to ×10−9 A/cm2. The PSD Ψ0 values are higher for non-anodized alloys, while in anodized conditions, the values range from −138/−122 dBi (A2·Hz−1)1/2 to −131/−180 dBi (A2·Hz−1)1/2. Furthermore, the results indicated that the alloys anodized in the H3PO4 bath showed an electrochemical behavior that can be associated with a more homogeneous passive layer when exposed to the 3.5 wt % NaCl electrolyte. Alloys containing more beta-phase stabilizers formed a less homogeneous anodized layer. These alloys are widely used in aeronautical applications; thus, it is essential that these alloys have excellent corrosion performance in chloride and acid rain environments.

On the Effects of High and Ultra-High Rotational Speeds on the Strength, Corrosion Resistance, and Microstructure during Friction Stir Welding of Al 6061-T6 and 316L SS Alloys

In this study, under the conditions of using tools at a high rotational speed (HRS) of 10,000 rpm and an ultra-high rotational speed (ultra-HRS) of 18,000 rpm, the produced welding heat input was utilized to weld two specimens of Al alloy 6061-T6 with 1.0 mm thickness and 316L SS with 0.8 mm thickness. The microstructural characteristics, mechanical properties, and electrochemical corrosion properties of the aluminum alloy–steel joints were analyzed. The higher tool offset forms an intermetallic compound layer of less than 1 µm at the Fe-Al interface on the advancing side (AS) at different speeds. This results in a mixed zone structure. The lower tool offset forms intermetallic compounds of only 2 µm. The formation of a composite material based on aluminum alloy in the weld nugget zone improves the hardness value. The intermetallic compounds are Fe3Al and FeAl3, respectively. It was observed that the formation of intermetallic compounds is solely related to the rotational speed, and the iron-rich intermetallic compounds produced under ultra-HRS parameters have higher corrosion resistance. When the tool offset is 0.55 mm, using the HRS parameters, the tensile strength is 220.8 MPa (about 75.9% of that of the base metal).

Corrosion Behavior of AA2055 Aluminum-Lithium Alloys Anodized in the Presence of Sulfuric Acid Solution

The aim of this work was to evaluate the corrosion behavior of the AA2055 Aluminum-lithium alloy anodized in a sulfuric acid (H2SO4) bath, varying the current density of 0.19 and 1 A·cm−2 and why the sealing solution was water (H2O) and sodium dichromate (Na2Cr2O7). Anodized samples were exposed to a 10 vol.% H2SO4 solution and the electrochemical technique used was electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were employed to characterization of the anodizing layer, determinate morphology and thickness of coatings. The Na2Cr2O7 sealing solution tends to increase the charge transfer resistance and produces a more homogeneous and compact passive oxide layer, and imparts a corrosion inhibition protection to the AA2055. SEM observations indicated that the morphology and thickness of the anodic films formed on AA2055 aluminum-lithium alloy anodized have the best results for both current densities.

Susceptibility to Pitting Corrosion of Ti-CP2, Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo, and Ti-6Al-4V Alloys for Aeronautical Applications

Titanium alloys are used in different industries like biomedical, aerospace, aeronautic, chemical, and naval. Those industries have high requirements with few damage tolerances. Therefore, they are necessary to use materials that present fatigue, mechanical, and corrosion resistance. Although Ti-alloys are material with high performance, they are exposed to corrosion in marine and industrial environments. This research shows the corrosion behavior of three titanium alloys, specifically Ti CP2, Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo, and Ti-6Al-4V. Alloys were exposed on two electrolytes to a 3.5 wt % H2SO4 and NaCl solutions at room temperature using cyclic potentiodynamic polarization (CPP) and electrochemical noise (EN) according to ASTM G61 and ASTM G199 standards. CPP technique was employed to obtain electrochemical parameters as the passivation range (PR), corrosion type, passive layer persistence, corrosion potential (Ecorr), and corrosion rate. EN was analyzed by power spectral density (PSD) in voltage. Results obtained revealed pseudopassivation in CPP and PSD exposed on NaCl for Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo, indicating instability and corrosion rate lower. However, Ti-6Al-4V presented the highest corrosion rate in both electrolytes. Ti-6Al-2Sn-4Zr-2Mo revealed pseudopassivation in CPP and PSD in NaCl, indicating a passive layer unstable. However, the corrosion rate was lower in both solutions.

Corrosion Behavior of AA 1100 Anodized in Gallic-Sulfuric Acid Solution

Sulfuric acid anodization is one of the common methods used to improve corrosion resistance of aluminum alloys. Organic acids can be added to the sulfuric acid electrolyte in order to improve the properties of the anodized aluminum produced. In this study, the use of gallic acid as an additive to the sulfuric acid anodization of AA1100 was explored. The effect of varying anodization current density and gallic acid concentration on the properties of anodized aluminum samples was observed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, linear polarization, and scanning electron microscopy. It was observed that the corrosion resistance of samples anodized in gallic-sulfuric acid solution at 10 mA·cm−2 is lower than samples anodized in sulfuric acid. It was also observed that higher anodization current density can lead to lower corrosion resistances for aluminum samples anodized in gallic-sulfuric acid solution. However, samples anodized at 5 mA·cm−2 and at a gallic acid concentration of 5 g·L−1 showed better corrosion performance than the samples anodized in sulfuric acid only. This suggests that the use of low amounts of gallic acid as an additive for sulfuric acid anodization can lead to better corrosion resistances for anodized aluminum.