Corrosion and Wear Behaviors of Al-Ni Alloys with Zr and/or Sc Addition Processed by Equal Channel Angular Pressing at Room and Elevated Temperature

The microstructure of aluminum-nickel alloy is comprised of an aluminum matrix phase and a eutectic phase (α-Al/Al3Ni). Normally, the aluminum matrix phase is highly susceptible to corrosion. To address this issue, Equal Channel Angular Pressing process (ECAP), which not only enhances mechanical properties by creating ultrafine grains but also improves the uniformity of both phases was used in this study. This research aims to investigate the corrosion and wear characteristics of ECAPed Al-Ni alloys with an addition of Zr and/or Sc. The ECAP procedure was conducted using route Bc within an ECAP die both at room and elevated temperatures. To assess corrosion behavior, polarizatio tests in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution was done. Notably, the Al-3Ni-0.2Zr-0.2Sc (wt.%) alloys exhibited the highest corrosion resistance after aging. The corroded surfaces of the Al-Ni alloys post-polarization testing were examined by optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). The corrosion behavior of the alloys covered selectivecorrosion (α-Al) and pitting corrosion. For wear behavior, we conducted dry sliding wear tests under a 3 N load with a linear speed of 0.13 cm/s. Interestingly, the wear rate decreased for ECAPed samples due to theenhanced structural uniformity. In conclusion, ECAP appears to reduce the wear rate of Al-Ni alloys at the cost of inferior corrosion resistance.