Interfacial preferential dissolution on silicon carbide particulate/aluminum composites
- Univ. of Science and Technology, Beijing (China). Dept. of Surface Science and Corrosion Engineering
Previous studies on corrosion of discontinuously reinforced aluminum alloy composites have assumed that the role of the reinforcement-matrix interface is merely as a preferable site for pitting. In this work, the interfacial preferential dissolution (IPD) occurring on silicon carbide particulate/aluminum (SiC{sub p}/Al) composites in a medium of aqueous sodium chloride (NaCl) solution was studied. IPD was quite distinct from pitting. IPD occurred on the composites with either a pure aluminum matrix or an aluminum alloy Al 2024 (UNS A92024) matrix, whether they were fabricated by a cast process or by a powder metallurgy process. In the light of elastoplastic mechanics, the width of the plastically deformed zone around SiC particles (created by the contraction misfit between SiC particles and the matrix during quenching) was deduced to be 0.5 D, where D is the diameter of the SiC particles. This was in agreement with the measured width of the IPD region (0.3 D to 0.4 D). It was concluded that IPD was caused by the poor integrity of the surface oxide film upon the plastically deformed zone near the interface and was independent of the chemical, metallurgical, and galvanic coupling factors around the interface, if any. A copper-deposition experiment indicated this poor integrity. IPD caused increased dissolution at SiC clusters and uniform corrosion for the composites with high SiC content. Moreover, IPD and pitting suppressed each other by a means of cathodic protection.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- OSTI ID:
- 634551
- Journal Information:
- Corrosion, Vol. 54, Issue 7; Other Information: PBD: Jul 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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