Electrochemical and Salt Spray Corrosion Behavior of Copper Alloy Contact Wires in Chloride Solution

Abstract

The effect of different alloying elements on corrosion behavior of copper alloys was investigated using electrochemical corrosion and salt spray corrosion test in NaCl solution. Cu-Ag has the most stable corrosion current in the potentiostatic scanning test, exhibiting a better corrosion resistant performance. It can be analyzed from corrosion surface morphologies that Cu-Ag presents exfoliation corrosion mechanism while Cu-Sn shows crevice corrosion mechanism. Cu-Mg has a complex corrosion process caused by multiple corrosion mechanism. In the salt spray corrosion test, the corrosion degree of Cu-Ag is lighter than those of Cu-Sn and Cu-Mg after 24h test. Therefore, the Cu-Ag alloy exhibits the best corrosion resistance in chloride solution.