Determination of pitting sensitivity of the aluminium alloy EN AW-6060-T6 in a carbon-fibre reinforced plastic/aluminium rivet joint by finite element simulation of the galvanic corrosion process

The galvanic corrosion of a rivet joint combining an EN AW-6060-T6 aluminium sheet and a CFRP (carbon fibre reinforced plastic) laminate by an Almac®-coated self-piercing rivet was investigated electrochemically in a 5 wt% NaCl solution. The corrosion parameters of the joint components were separately determined by potentiodynamic polarisation and were used for finite-element-method (FEM) simulations to analyse the galvanic corrosion behaviour at joint conditions. A critical distance for galvanic induced pitting corrosion at the aluminium alloy surface was determined by FEM and confirmed by an immersion test in the same environment.