Session: Atmospheric Corrosion and Environmentally Assisted Cracking
The Role of Microstructure in the Anodizability of AlSi Alloys: A Short Review (C2026-00331)
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM Central
Location: 362 BC
Earn .5 PDH
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Valentina Mataloni, Federico Bertasi, Mary Angel Abello, Lorenzo Mezzomo, Andrea Bonfanti
R&D GCF – Electrochemistry and Metallurgy Team Leader Brembo
Aluminum-Silicon (AlSi) alloys offer an excellent compromise between mechanical performance and density. However, they suffer from poor corrosion resistance, which typically does not meet the requirements of the automotive market. As a result, several corrosion protection strategies are used, of which anodizing is particularly effective as it allows the growth of a protective Aluminum oxide coating on AlSi. Nevertheless, anodizing highly alloyed AlSi can be particularly challenging due to the presence of a high Silicon content which: a) creates regions with a high resistivity; b) generates thickness fluctuations of the anodic layer; c) can lead to obtaining porous anodic layers due to a poor embedding of Silicon particles. Anodizability further reduces in the case of recycled AlSi materials, which typically include high concentrations of impurity elements (e.g. Iron, Manganese, Copper, Chromium, etc.) In this context, the work proposes a fundamental investigation regarding the effect of microstructural features (e.g. silicon content, SDAS, dimensions of intermetallic precipitates) on the anodizability and corrosion resistance of different recycled AlSi alloys. A multi technique approach based on metallographic analysis, electrochemical noise measurements, salt spray tests and Scanning electrochemical microscopy allow to unveil the complex interplay between microstructure and corrosion protection capability of anodic layers.
