Effect of narrow pulse width laser cleaning on corrosion resistance of A5083-H111 aluminum alloy

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to promote the corrosion resistance of the 5083-111H aluminum alloy by laser cleaning. Design/methodology/approach Laser with 2 ns pulse width was adopted in this project and the corrosion resistance of cleaned samples was tested by copper-accelerated salt spray (CASS). The surface morphology, elemental composition and distribution were then characterized by SEM. Moreover, surface morphology, elemental composition and distribution were also tested. Findings Results suggested a higher corrosion resistance was successfully obtained by laser cleaning. Compared with samples cleaned by 2000 grit sandpaper, mechanical cleaning resulted in a 53% larger height difference between the peak and valley. The content of the oxygen is 8.85% on the surface cleaned mechanically and the distribution is dependent on the distribution of aluminum whereas that of the laser cleaning sample is 24.41% and the distribution existed even in the Al-poor area. Originality/value In this project, the 2-ns laser cleaning was proved to have the capability to remove the oxide layer on the aluminum alloy surface while retaining an excellent corrosion resistance and smooth surface. Meanwhile, a thorough elemental distribution and smaller grain size lead to a smaller difference in elemental concentration. This retards the diffusion of oxygen into the substrate and hence increases the corrosion resistance of the surface.

Research Progress and Challenges in Laser-Controlled Cleaning of Aluminum Alloy Surfaces

“…The average grain size of the upper region was 7.30 μm, and 73% of the total number of grains were smaller than 10 μm in diameter. These results lead to the difference between the grain boundary and intragranular composition minimal, lowering the corrosion current density [ 69 ]. Zhu et al [ 13 ] conducted electrochemical experiments and verified that the laser cleaning does not reduce the corrosion resistance of aluminum alloy surfaces, and that the improvement of corrosion performance is related to energy density.…”

Study on the Surface Morphology of Micro-Particles and the Oxide Layer on Silicon Carbide Crystal Using Nanosecond Green Laser Cleaning Assisted with Airflow

“…The particle ejecting energies were found to increase with the laser fluence [19]. A previous study [20,21] summarized the laser cleaning of other materials from 6061 aluminum alloy, metal oxide to bronze. Guo L. et al [22] systematically conducted a numerical and experimental analysis for morphology evolution of 6061 aluminum alloy during nanosecond pulsed laser cleaning.…”

A high-resolution characterisation of localised corrosion of AA5083-H111 in simulated seawater by TEM

“…5xxx series (Al-Mg) aluminium alloys have been increasingly applied in the marine industry in China for their reasonable corrosion resistance, good weldability and high strength [1][2][3]. For the ship hull structures, the upper part of them are subjected to the aggressive atmospheric environment, and the corrosion behaviour in this region has been well documented [4].…”