The galvanostatic anodizing behavior of additive manufactured (AM) Al-Si10-Mg alloy was studied in H2SO4 electrolyte. The analysis of the voltage vs time response was complemented with a systematic characterization of the anodic oxide layer using a variety of techniques. In addition, a cast alloy of approximately the same chemical composition as that of the AM specimens was used as a reference in this study. Significant differences were found in the voltage-time characteristics of the samples analyzed. Besides, an anisotropic anodizing behavior was observed in the additive manufactured specimens. Due to the fine silicon microstructure present in the additive manufactured samples, the anodic oxide growth was much more obstructed than for the cast alloy. Nevertheless, even though the oxide layer was generally thinner in the AM samples for the same conditions and anodizing time, a much more continuous and uniform oxide layer was found in the additive manufactured specimens compared to the cast alloy. The porous structure was found to be greatly affected by the fine distribution of the silicon phase in the AM parts.

Metal additive manufacturing (MAM), also known as metal 3D printing, is a rapidly growing industry based on the fabrication of complex metal parts with improved functionalities. During MAM, metal parts are produced in a layer by layer fashion using 3D computer-aided design models. The advantages of using this technology include the reduction of materials waste, high efficiency for small production runs, near net shape manufacturing, ease of change or revision of versions of a product, support of lattice structures, and rapid prototyping. Numerous metals and alloys can nowadays be processed by additive manufacturing techniques. Among them, Al-based alloys are of great interest in the automotive and aeronautic industry due to their relatively high strength and stiffness to weight ratio, good wear and corrosion resistance, and recycling potential. The special conditions associated with the MAM processes are known to produce in these materials a fine microstructure with unique directional growth features far from equilibrium. This distinctive microstructure, together with other special features and microstructural defects originating from the additive manufacturing process, is known to greatly influence the corrosion behaviour of these materials. Several works have already been conducted in this direction. However, several issues concerning the corrosion and corrosion protection of these materials are still not well understood. This work reviews the main studies to date investigating the corrosion aspects of additively manufactured aluminium alloys. It also provides a summary and outlook of relevant directions to be explored in future research.

Sr is known to transform the morphology of the eutectic silicon phase as well as the Fe-rich β phase in Al-Si alloys, improving their mechanical properties. However, little is known about the effect Sr has on the (local) corrosion properties of aluminium alloys. This study investigates the effect of Sr addition to a modified AA3003 heat exchanger material on the morphology of the different phases present, especially the Fe-rich phases, as well as on the (local) corrosion properties of this material. This work reports the formation of a Sr-rich phase, which slightly increases the macrohardness of the material. The Fe-rich phases are not shown to be refined/influenced by the addition of Sr Potentiodynamic polarization experiments showed an increase in pitting potential by increasing the amount of Sr in the material up to 0.4 wt.%. Nevertheless, the analysis of the corrosion morphology revealed that the Sr-containing particles did not contribute to the corrosion process despite their cathodic behaviour compared to the Al matrix as measured by Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy. This behaviour was attributed to the thicker oxide layer found on the Srrich particles.

Aluminium alloy (AA) 3003 is widely used as fin and tube material in heat exchangers. In these heat exchangers the tube and fin material are brazed together by means of an AA4xxx alloy. In this work, the effect of a simulated brazing step on the microstructure and corrosion behaviour of a twin roll casted (TRC) AA3003 was studied. In particular, the effect of simulated brazing on the corrosion properties of the centre line segregation (CLS) of alloying elements and the interaction of the intermetallic particles with the surrounding matrix is explored. It is shown that the cross sections are significantly more active than the surface of the TRC AA3003, revealing the importance of the CLS on the corrosion behaviour. Furthermore, it is shown that the number of pits and their depths decreased considerably on the exposed cross sections after simulated brazing, especially near the CLS. Scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM) measurements show that after the simulated brazing step the Volta potential difference between the intermetallic particles and the matrix reduced significantly. This change in the Volta potential could be caused by the slight increase of Si content in the matrix.

The AA3003 alloy is widely used as fin material in heat exchangers. The life time of these heat exchangers is mostly determined by their corrosion properties. Twin roll casting (TRC) of AA3003 material is known to often result in the formation of a macrosegregation area of alloying elements towards the centre plane of the casted strip (centre line segregation = CLS). Considering the potential exposure of cross-sectional areas of TRC material in the heat exchanger fin application, and the relatively high corrosion susceptibility of the CLS, the study of this region is of key importance to understand the microstructural effects on the resulting corrosion mechanisms and kinetics for these materials. Typically the alloys are homogenized to bring the microstructures closer to an equilibrium state, but the impact of this heat treatment on the corrosion properties is insufficiently studied. Therefore, this study investigates the effect of different homogenization procedures on the corrosion properties of the CLS and the interaction of the intermetallic particles with the surrounding aluminium matrix. This work shows that the pitting corrosion resistance is greatly dependent on the homogenization temperature, with better corrosion resistance obtained with higher temperature, especially near the CLS. This difference in corrosion behaviour is completely attributed to a difference in microstructure and not to an oxide layer effect. Furthermore, it is observed that not only temperature will have a large influence on the corrosion resistance, but duration of the heat treatment as well.