Improving Corrosion Resistance of Friction Stir Welding Joint of 7075 Aluminum Alloy by Micro-arc Oxidation

An attempt has been made to improve the corrosion resistance of friction stir welded joints of 7075 aluminum alloys by micro-arc oxidation (MAO), and the effects of Na2SiO3 concentration in electrolyte on the corrosion resistance of the coatings were discussed. Morphology and phase constituents of the MAO coatings produced in electrolyte with different Na2SiO3 concentrations were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Electrochemical tests were conducted to evaluate the corrosion resistance of the coatings. The results show that the corrosion resistance of the coated joints is much better than that without the ceramic coating, and the ceramic coating produced in the electrolyte with Na2SiO3 concentration 20 g/L showed better corrosion resistance than the others.