Effect of Electroless Copper Coating on the Corrosion Behavior of Aluminium Based Metal Matrix Composites Reinforced with Silicon Carbide Particles

Mohamed Zakaulla, A. R. Anwar Khan, P. G. Mukunda

Ghousia College of Engineering, Ramanagaram, India.
Mechanical Engineering Department, Ghousia College of Engineering, Ramanagaram, India.
Mechanical Engineering Department, Nitte Menakshi Institute of Technology, Bangalore, India.

DOI: 10.4236/jmmce.2014.21004                

Abstract

The present paper involves firstly in the studies of corrosion properties of Al 6061 metal matrix composites reinforced with varying percentage of uncoated and Cu coated silicon carbide in 3.5 wt% NaCl solution using weight loss method. The processing route used for the composites was stir casting technique. Mass loss and corrosion rate measurements were utilized as criteria for evaluating the corrosion behavior of composites. The surface morphology of composites after the corrosion test is determined by using scanning electron microscopy. It has been observed that copper as reinforcement coating reduces the corrosion resistance of composites in comparison to uncoated reinforcements and monolithic alloy.

Keywords

Stir Casting; Al6061; Corrosion Rate; Electroless; Polarization

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	N. A. Abd Alameer, “Studying the Effect of Chemical Solution on Corrosion Behavior of SiC and Al2O3 Reinforced Aluminum Composite Materials,” Journal of Engineering & Technology, Vol. 29, No. 15, 2011, pp. 3194-3203.
[2]	K. H. W. Seah, M. Krishna, V. T. Vijayalakshmi and J. Uchil, “Corrosion Behavior of Garnet Particulate Reinforced LM 13 Al Alloy MMCs,” Corrosion Science, Vol. 44, No. 5, 2002, pp. 917-925. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0010-938X(01)00099-3
[3]	G. M. Pinto, J. Nayak and A. N. Shetty, “Corrosion Behavior of 6061 Al-15 vol. Pct. SiC Composite and Its Base Alloy in a Mixture of 1:1 Hydrochloric and Sulphuric Acid Medium,” International Journal of Electrochemical Science, Vol. 4, No. 10, 2009, pp. 1452-1468.
[4]	A. J. Trowsdate, B. Noble, S. J. Haris, I. S. R. Gibbins, G. E. Thompson and G. C. Wood, “The Influence of Silicon Carbide Reinforcement on the Pitting Behavior of Aluminium,” Corrosion Science, Vol. 38, No. 2, 1996, pp. 177-191. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0010-938X(96)00098-4
[5]	J. F. McIntyre, R. K. Conrad and S. L. Golledge, “Technical Note: The Effect of Heat Treatment on the Pitting Behavior of SiCw/AA2124,” Corrosion, Vol. 46, No. 11, 1990, pp. 902-905. http://dx.doi.org/10.5006/1.3580856
[6]	J. Wu, W. Liu, P. Li and R. Wu, “Effect of Matrix Alloying Elements on the Corrosion Resistance of SiC/Al Composites Materials,” Journal of Materials Science Letters, Vol. 12, No. 33, 1993, pp. 1500-1501.
[7]	W. Neil and C. Garrard, “The Corrosion Behaviour of Aluminium-Silicon Carbide Composites in Aerated 3.5% Sodium Chloride,” Corrosion Science, Vol. 36, No. 5, 1994, pp. 837-851. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0010-938X(94)90174-0
[8]	K. Alaneme, “Corrosion Behaviour of Heat-Treated Al-6063/SiCp Composites Immersed in 5 wt% NaCl Solution,” Leonardo Journal of Sciences, Vol. 18, No. 18, 2011, pp. 55-64.
[9]	B. Dikici1, C. Tekmen, M. Gavgali and U. Cocen, “The Effect of Electroless Ni Coating of SiC Particles on the Corrosion Behavior of A356 Based Squeeze Cast Composite,” Journal of Mechanical Engineering, Vol. 57, No. 1, 2011, pp. 11-20. http://dx.doi.org/10.5545/sv-jme.2010.111
[10]	Deonath and P. K. Rohatgi, “Cast Aluminium Alloy Composites Containing Copper-Coated Ground Mica Particles,” Journal of Material Science, Vol. 16, No. 6, 1981, pp. 1599-1606. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF02396877
[11]	S.-C. kim, M.-T. Kim, S. Lee, H. Chung and J.-H. Ahn, “Effects of Copper Addition on Sintering Behavior and Mechanical Properties of Powder Processed Al/SiC Composites,” Journal of Material Science, Vol. 40, No. 2, 2003, pp. 441-447.
[12]	A. M. Davidson and D. Regener, “A Comparison of Aluminium-Based Metal Matrix Composites Reinforced with Coated and Uncoated Particulate Silicon Carbide,” Composite Science and Technology, Vol. 60, No. 6, 2000, pp. 865-869.
[13]	A. Urena, J. Rams, M. Campo and M. Sánchez, “Effect of Reinforcement Coatings on the Dry Sliding Wear Behavior of Aluminium/SiC Particles/Carbon Fibres Hybrid Composites,” Wear, Vol. 266, No. 11-12, 2009, pp. 1128- 1136.
[14]	A. E. Al-Rawajfeh and S. M. A. Al Qawabah, “Investigation of Copper Addition on the Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Resistance of Commercially Pure Aluminum,” Emirates Journal for Engineering Research, Vol. 14, No. 1, 2009, pp. 47-52.
[15]	J. Zhu and L. H. Hihara, “Corrosion of Continuous Alu- mina-Fibre Reinforced Al-2 wt.% Cu-T6 Metal-Matrix Composite in 3.15 wt.% NaCl Solution,” Corrosion Science, Vol. 52, No. 2, 2010, pp. 406-415. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.corsci.2009.09.028
[16]	A. Pardo, A. Ure?a, S. Merino, et al., “Effect of Reinforcement Coating on Corrosion Behavior of AA6061/ SiC/20p Composite in High Relative Humidity Environ- ments,” Corrosion Science, Vol. 60, No. 10, 2004, pp. 945-953. http://dx.doi.org/10.5006/1.3287828
[17]	D. Mandal, B. K. Dutta and S. C. Panigrahi, “Influence of Coating on Short Steel Fiber Reinforcements on Corrosion Behavior of Aluminium Base Short Steel Fiber Reinforced Composites,” Journal of Materials Science, Vol. 42, No. 8, 2007, pp. 2796-2801. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10853-006-0188-3