Influence of Micro-Arc Oxidation Coatings on Stress Corrosion of AlMg6 Alloy

This paper shows results of a study on the corrosion behavior of micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coatings sampled from the AlMg6 alloy. The alloy was simultaneously subjected to a corrosive environment and static tensile stress. For comparative purposes, the tests were run for both coated samples and samples without coatings. The research was conducted at a properly prepared stand; the samples were placed in a glass container filled with 3.5% NaCl aqueous solution and stretched. Two levels of tensile stress were accepted for the samples: σ₁ = 0.8R_0.2 σ₂ = R_0.2, and the tests were run for two time intervals: t₁ = 480 h and t₂ = 1000 h. Prolonged stress corrosion tests (lasting up to 1000 h) showed that the samples covered with ceramic coatings demonstrated significantly higher corrosion resistance than the samples without the coatings. Protective properties of the coating could be explained by its structure. Surface pores were insignificant, and their depth was very limited. The porosity level of the main coating layer was 1%. Such a structure of coating and its phase composition provided high protective properties.