The Influence of the Chemical Composition on the Corrosion Performances of Some Al-Fe-Si, Al-Mg-Si and Al-Mg-Mn Type of Alloys

Abstract

Paper presents the results on the corrosion behavior of some Al-Fe-Si, Al-Mg-Si and Al-Mg-Mn alloys in their final commercially usable tempered state. Durability of alloys was quantified and compared in the sense of corrosion rates in aqueous solutions while also having in mind the role of alloy chemistry. Open circuit corrosion potential (OCP) measurements, linear polarization and potentiodynamic anodic/cathodic polarization was employed in order to determine the corrosion behavior of samples in the mixture of chloride ions containing aqueous corrosion ambient. We found out that AlFe0.83Si0.18(AA8079), AlMg0.63Si0.72 (AA6005) and AlMg4Mn (AA5182) alloy exhibited the highest rates of passivation in 0.51 mol NaCl solution. The group of Al-Fe-Si alloys exhibited the greatest sensitivity to the changes in chemical composition under potentiodynamic polarization. Artificially aged Al-Mg-Si extruded profiles and fully annealed (after cold rolling) Al-Mg-Mn sheets exhibit very similar levels of equilibrium potentials E(I=0) in 0.51 mol NaCl solution. In the case of Al-Fe-Si alloys, we found that Fe/Si ratio also plays an important role, next to the total content of Fe and Si. Alloys with high Fe/Si ratios showed almost 30 % lower polarization resistance compared to the alloys with balanced Fe/Si, even in the case of the equal total content of alloying elements. The AlMg0.7Si1.2Mn0.8 alloy aged after quenching in the sprayed water and AlMg4Zn1.3Mn0.4 annealed sheet exhibit very similar levels of corrosion rates in 0.51 mol NaCl solution.