Evaluation of metal cation effects on galvanic corrosion behavior of the A5052 aluminum alloy in low chloride ion containing solutions by electrochemical noise impedance

• Electrochemical noise impedance cam apply to investigate the corrosion behavior of A5052 in model tap water.
• Metal cations show the important role in corrosion behavior.
• The change in corrosion behavior due to metal cations may be attributed to passive film structure changes.

The effects of metal cations on the galvanic corrosion behavior of the A5052 aluminum alloy in low chloride ion containing solutions (tap water) were examined by electrochemical noise impedance. The electrochemical noise impedance and conductance were calculated by the power spectral density (PSD) of the galvanic current and potential. The oscillations in the galvanic current correlate well with the oscillations in the potential. The total charge (summation of galvanic current) during galvanic corrosion tests was suppressed by the addition of Ca2+, while it was increased with Mg2+ addition. Only a small effect on mean impedance and conductance was observed in solutions with Cu2+ and Mg2+, while addition of Ca2+ strongly influences both the mean impedance and conductance. These results may be explained by the passive film structure changes due to the metal cations. The results obtained in this study indicate that metal cations play a very important role in the corrosion behavior of A5052 aluminum alloys in tap water.