Study of the Corrosion Resistance of Al-Si-Cu-Mg Alloy Enhanced by V and Zr Co-microalloying
Author of the article: LIU Zhibin1,2, WANG Rui1,3, WANG Dongtao1,3, ZHONG Jikang1,2, ZHANG Minghe1,3, ZHANGXiaozu1,3, SUN
Author's Workplace:1. High-Performance Metal Structural Materials Research Institute, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China; 2. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Liaoning University of Technology, Jinzhou 121001, China; 3. School of Iron and Steel, Soochow University, Suzhou 215000, China
Key Words:Al-Si-Cu-Mg alloy; V, Zr addition; corrosion resistance; electrochemical analysis
Abstract:
Al-Si-Cu-Mg series alloys with high Cu contents are widely used in automotive engineering because of their
excellent strength and toughness, but the inclusion of Cu greatly reduces their corrosion resistance, limiting their application
range. Therefore, on the basis of the commonly used Al-9Si-4Cu-0.22Mg alloy, the effects of V and Zr co-microalloying on
the corrosion resistance of the alloy were investigated via microstructure observation and electrochemical testing.
The results show that the addition of both V and Zr improve the corrosion resistance. However, when the addition of V
exceeds 0.13 wt.%, the corrosion resistance of the alloy decreases. The corrosion morphology observations reveal that V
and Zr co-microalloying significantly reduce the tendency for pitting. The electrochemical test results show that the A12
alloy with 0.13 wt.% V and 0.19 wt.% Zr has the best corrosion resistance, with a corrosion current density reduction of
51.6% and an equivalent passive film thickness increase of 129%. The strengthening of the passive film is the main reason
for the improved corrosion resistance