Improvement of Pitting-Corrosion Resistance of Ultrafine-Grained 7475 Al Alloy by Aging

The effect of aging on the resistance to pitting corrosion of ultrafine-grained 7475 aluminium (Al) alloy processed by hydrostatic extrusion (HE) is studied. Differences in the microstructure were investigated using secondary electron (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Corrosion tests were performed in 0.1 M NaCl, and characterization of corroded surface was performed. The results of this work show that the pitting susceptibility of ultra-fine grained 7475Al is related to the distribution of MgZn2 precipitates. After HE, the formation of An ultrafine-grained microstructure at the grain boundaries of ultrafine grains is observed, while subsequent aging results in the formation of MgZn2 precipitates in the grain interior. Grain refinement increases susceptibility to localized attack, while the subsequent aging improves the overall corrosion resistance and limits the propagation of corrosion attack.