Effects of Retrogression Treatment Process on the Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Behavior of the Graphene/7075 Aluminum Matrix Composite

Abstract

The influence of various retrogression and re-ageing (RRA) treatment processes on the hardness, electrical conductivity and corrosion behavior of graphene/7075 aluminum matrix composite were investigated. The results showed that the hardness decreased swiftly at the initial stage and short time to peak value as the retrogression temperature (170 °C, 180 °C, 190 °C, 200 °C) rises. In the RRA 180 °C/120 min process, the electrical conductivity and peak-aging Brinell hardness were 37.9%IACS, 192.8. This RRA treatment possessed excellent pitting corrosion resistance, and the corresponding pitting potential (Epit), the passivation potential (Epit-Ecorr), the pitting corrosion current density (Logicorr) were -0.756V, 0.558V, -1.836A/cm2, respectively. This enhance can attribute that the continuous η phase distributed along the grain boundary became intermittent and coarse in the retrogression stage.