Potentiodynamic Corrosion Characterization of Hybrid Aluminium Composites for Advanced Engineering Applications

Abstract

Corrosion characterization of Aluminium composites is a significant study planned for assessing the capability of utilizing the materials for aviation and automobile parts. Aluminium 5083 is a particular class of alloys which is known for its corrosion resistance in extraordinary conditions and is utilized in aerospace components. However, the experimentations on impact of reinforcements, for example, the effect of Silicon carbide and Flyash on corrosion properties of Aluminium 5083 alloys is still in its incipient stage and not much literature is available outlining the corrosion attributes. The present work includes the fabrication of Aluminium 5083 – Silicon carbide – Flyash composites and investigation of the corrosion conduct of these composites. The composites are fabricated by stir casting procedure, considering silicon carbide particulates varied in the scope of 3 wt.% to 9 wt.% at an intermittent intervals of 2 wt.%. The composition of fly ash in the present work is limited to 5 wt. % for restricting the porosity after conducting preliminary trials. The composite materials considered in this research are assessed for corrosion by Potentio-dynamic test, which is accomplished utilizing a test arrangement comprising of five mouth jar with calomel electrode and a working cathode (comprising of the specimen held rigidly with a copper wire and secured with Teflon tape notwithstanding a region of one square centimeter exposed to the electrolyte). The anodic and cathodic potentio-dynamic polarization estimations are acquired as tafel plots in the PC that is interfaced with the test arrangement. The outcomes reveal that the corrosion current (Icorr) increases with the increase in the weight percentage of Silicon carbide in the metal matrix. The electrolyte considered for the potentio-dynamic test is and 1 M HCl (acidic) medium.