Abstract
In a systematic study of galvanic corrosion of Al alloys the effects of the dissimilar metal, the solution composition and area ratio have been studied using galvanic current and weight loss measurements, In 3.5% NaCl, galvanic corrosion rates of the Al alloys 1100, 20324,2219, 6061 and 7075 decrease with the nature of the dissimilar metal in the order AG>Cu> 4130 steel β«stainless steel βNi>>Inconel 718β«Tiβ6A1β4VβοΈHaynes 188>Sn>Cd. Coupling to zinc did not lead to cathodic protection of all A1 alloys. The potential difference of uncoupled dissimilar metals have been found to be a poor indication of galvanic corrosion rates. Dissolution rates of A1 alloys coupled to a given dissimilar material are higher in 3.5% NaCl than in tapwater and distilled water where they are found to be comparable. In assessing the galvanic corrosion behavior of a given A1 alloy as a function of environment, one has to consider the effect of the dissimilar metal. The dissolution rate of Al 6061 is, for example, higher in tapwater with Cu as cathode than in 3.5% NaCl with SS304L or Tiβ6AIβ4V as cathode.
The effect of area ratio \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \frac{{A^C }}{{A^A }} $\end{document} has been studied in 3.5% NaCl for area ratios of 0.1, 1.0 or 10. The galvanic current was found to be independent of the area of the anode, but directly proportional to the area of the cathode. The galvanic current density \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ i_{^g }^A $\end{document} with respect to the anode has been found to be directly proportional to the area ratio (\documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ \frac{{A^C }}{{A^A }} $\end{document}), while the dissolution rate r~A~ of the anode was related to area ratio by \documentclass{article}\pagestyle{empty}\begin{document}$ r_A = k_{_2 } (1 + \frac{{A^C }}{{A^A }}) $\end{document}. The results obtained have been explained in terms of mixed potential theory.