The Corrosion Behavior of Carburized Aluminum Using DC Plasma

Abstract

Because of the outstanding properties of aluminum, it is widely used in today's advanced technological world. However, its insufficient wear resistance limits its use for commercial and industrial applications. In this study, we performed DC diode plasma carburizing of aluminum in the gas composition of CH4–H2 (20–80%) and at a temperature of about 350°C for 4 and 8 hours. The corrosion properties of the untreated and plasma-carburized samples were evaluated using anodic polarization tests in 3 N HCl solution according to ASTM: G5-94. The metallurgical characteristics were then investigated using XRD and SEM. The results showed that the carburizing process improves the corrosion resistance of treated specimens at low temperature.