Corrosion Behavior of 1050 and 3003 Aluminum Alloys Used in Naval Industry

Abstract

The most important requests for new materials used in marine aggressive corrosion environment are the corrosion resistance and the susceptibility to localized and pitting corrosion. The corrosion behavior of 1050 and 3003 aluminum alloys in natural seawater were characterized by electrochemical measurements, including open circuit potential, linear polarization, polarization resistance and cyclic voltammetry. Stability, polarization resistance, corrosion rate and pitting susceptibility were determined. 1050 aluminum alloy shows an increase of polarization resistance and improved corrosion resistance in natural seawater compared to 3003 aluminum alloy. The optical micrographs taken after corrosion assays are in good agreement with the recorded electrochemical measurements.