Pitting corrosion behavior and mechanism of 5083 aluminum alloy based on dry‐wet cycle exposure

Abstract Electrochemical and surface analysis methods were used to investigate the pitting susceptibility and propagation of as‐received and dry‐wet cycle exposed 5083 aluminum alloy (AA5083) specimens. We find that dry‐wet cycle exposure can reduce the corrosion potential, while increasing the corrosion current density, pitting potential ( E p ), and passivation range. The pitting corrosion behavior during the dry‐wet cycle process depends on the exposure temperature and time. Increased exposure temperature and time result in reduced pitting percentage and corrosion altitude and decreased microhardness of the corrosion products, which promotes the pitting sensitivity of AA5083. The underlying pitting mechanism is proposed by employing the morphology and microstructures of the corrosion products.