The Influence of Fe Content on Corrosion Resistance of secondary AlSi7Mg0.3 Cast Alloy with Increased Fe-content

Production of primary aluminium is energetically enormously expensive. The use of secondary (recycled) aluminium, has therefore a high potential to save money and energy while reducing the negative environmental impact of aluminium production. Although the properties of secondary aluminium alloys are generally comparable to those of primary aluminium alloys, the increased Fe content can lead to a significant reduction in the corrosion resistance of these alloys. Secondary (recycled) AlSi7Mg0.3 cast alloy with different iron contents (0.123, 0.454, 0.679 and 1.209 wt. %) in the as-cast and after heat treatment (T6) condition was investigated. The quantitative analysis was focused on the evaluation of the Fe-phases, especially the needle-like Al5FeSi phase. The corrosion resistance was measured by a rapid corrosion test (AUDI test). The corrosion damage of the surface was observed macroscopically. The results show that Fe content higher than 0.454 % has no significant effect on the amount and size of needle-like phases of Al5FeSi. The corrosion resistance is mainly influenced by the size and length of the Al5FeSi phases. Increased Fe content decreases the corrosion resistance of AlSi7Mg0.3 alloy and accelerates the initiation of corrosion.

Automated summary

The use of secondary aluminium alloys has the potential to save energy and money while reducing the negative environmental impact of aluminium production. However, increased iron content can decrease the corrosion resistance of these alloys.