Effects of Temper and Potential on Localized Corrosion Kinetics of Aluminum Alloy 7075

Abstract

The effects of temper and potential on localized corrosion kinetics of aluminum alloy (AA)7075 (UNS A97075) were studied using the foil penetration technique. Specimens were heat-treated to W, T6, and T7 tempers. Experiments were performed in sodium chloride (NaCl) solution at different potentials in the absence of applied stress. Localized corrosion rate was affected by the applied potential: the higher the applied potential, the faster the localized corrosion rate. W temper was found to have the fastest localized corrosion rate. The localized corrosion rate in T7 was faster than that in T6 under potentiostatic conditions, but slower than that in T6 under open-circuit conditions.