Effect of thermo-mechanical processing on filiform corrosion of aluminium alloy AA3005

The effect of laboratory scale thermo-mechanical processing of aluminium alloy AA3005, supplied as 2.9 mm sheet at the hot roll transfer gauge, on filiform corrosion (FFC) susceptibility, electrochemical properties and near surface microstructure was investigated. Corrosion testing showed that the as hot rolled material exhibited poor FFC resistance and that heat treatment of both the as hot rolled and subsequently cold rolled samples resulted in a drastic loss of corrosion resistance. Microstructural characterisation showed that both hot and cold rolling resulted in enhanced surface shear deformation and the formation of a thin layer of metal in the surface with different properties and microstructural characteristics than the underlying bulk material. Enhanced surface deformation resulted in a redistribution of intermetallic particles in this region. Poor FFC properties were correlated with the presence of a higher density of fine intermetallic precipitates in the surface layers than in the underlying bulk. It is suggested that enhanced secondary precipitation of intermetallic particles in the deformed surface layers during high temperature exposure, e.g., during hot rolling or annealing steps, is the main contributing factor to the observed poor FFC resistance. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.