The effects of sealing on cracking tendency of anodic films on 2024 aluminum alloy after heating up to 300 °C

The influence of sealing methods on cracking tendency of anodic films on 2024 alloys after heating was studied. The anodic films were sealed by the methods of ambient water, boiling water, nickel fluoride and potassium dichromate, respectively. The results showed that the sealing mechanisms had important effects on initiation of cracks in anodic films during sealing process. The condensation of sealing products resulted in cracking of anodic films during sealing in boiling water, nickel fluoride solution and ambient water. On heating, the thermal stress was released mainly by widening and deepening of the originally initiated cracks during sealing. The cracks may penetrate through the anodic films and have detrimental effect on corrosion resistance of the films. The dichromate sealed anodic film showed an obviously decreased cracking tendency, which was attributed to the lower hydration extent and the opening pores during sealing process. Even after heating, there was no crack observed in the film. The result suggests that an “opening sealing” mode is beneficial to decrease the cracking tendency of anodic films during sealing and heating processes.