In this work, the influence of bending an AA5457 alloy sheet and the resulting microstructural changes on its corrosion behavior was investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to perform detailed microstructural analyses of the alloy in its original form and after bending. After immersion in naturally-aged NaCl under open-circuit conditions (0.5 M, adjusted to 3 by HCl), post-corrosion observations were made, and electrochemical polarization measurements were performed to investigate the corrosion mechanisms occurring on both surfaces. The results showed that the corrosion of AA5457 is a complex process that mainly involves trenching around coarse Si-rich particles, crystallographically-grown large pits, and the formation of multiple tiny pits around Si-rich nanoparticles. The experimental data showed that bending AA5457 changed the shape and distribution of Si-rich coarse particles, cumulated a higher dislocation density in the material, especially around Si-rich nanoparticles, and all of these factors caused that corrosion behavior of the AA5754 in the bending area was lowered.
Keywords: AA5754; corrosion; microstructure.