Growth regularity of ceramic coatings formed by microarc oxidation on Al-Cu-Mg alloy

Growth regularity of ceramic coatings formed on Al-Cu-Mg alloy by microarc oxidation was investigated, and the formation mechanism of coatings was discussed. After oxidation of several hours with linear growth, the growth rate of coatings decreases gradually. During the early stage, the sample geometrical dimension increases with oxidation. However, when the ceramic oxide coating reaches a certain thickness, the sample geometrical dimension will no longer increase although the total coating thickness keeps increasing. The oxide coatings contain a loose layer and a compact layer. The loose layer is formed first. After several hours, the compact layer begins to grow towards the Al substrate while the thickness of the loose layer changes little. The thickness of the compact layer can finally reach over 75% of the total coating thickness. After the surface loose layer is ground off, the sample dimension is approximately the same size as the sample before the treatment. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.