Influence of the Sr modification and post-treatment on corrosion resistance of oxide layer of cast Al-(low)Si alloys

The current development of casting process makes it possible to cast low Si content aluminium alloys, which open the gate for the application of anodising on cast aluminium components. This paper aims to investigate the influence of Sr modification as well as the post-treatment on corrosion resistance of oxide layer of low Si content cast Al alloys. In the present study, designed Al-Si alloys with 5.45 wt-% Si were studied by performing electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 3 wt-% NaCl solution. The morphology of Si particle was determined by controlling the level of Sr. The microstructure features were evaluated by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Furthermore, focus ion beam-SEM (FIB-SEM) equipped with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDXS) was applied to exam the corrosion morphology and the anodised layer with Si rich eutectic phases. The EIS study revealed that the corrosion resistance of the oxide layer on cast Al alloys can be significantly influenced by the morphology of Si particle and the post-treatment. It was found that the change of Si particle morphology from flake-like to fibrous by Sr addition can substantially improve the corrosion resistance of the oxide layer in the unsealed condition due to the formation of the more compacted oxide layer with less defects. Normally, the application of a sealing step such as the hydrothermal sealing can improve the corrosion protection of the oxide layer. However, in the current study, it was found the hydrothermal sealing step leads to a significant reduce of the corrosion protection due to the generation of cracks into the oxide layer, and the hydrothermal sealing step can counteract the improvement of the corrosion protection by Sr addition.