Corrosion behavior on the different zones of AA2014 welded aluminum alloy by AA5554 filler aluminum alloy with TIG process: Before and after solution heat treatments followed by ageing

In this work, we have studied the effects of solution heat treatment followed by ageing on the corrosion behavior of AA2014 aluminum alloy welded by AA5554 aluminum alloy. Two samples are then analyzed, in the first case the solution heat treatment is followed by quenching and natural ageing of 90 days (sample 1), and in the second one, the solution heat treatment is followed by quenching and artificial ageing of twelve hours at 190°C (sample 2). The principal observations can be summarized as: evaporation of magnesium in fusion zone, and diffusion of magnesium and copper from the heat affected zone to the fusion zone were identified. Solution heat treatment, quenching and 90 days of natural ageing leads to a uniform corrosion in the heat affected zone and in the fusion one, when the material is immersed for ten seconds in Keller reagent solution. After immersion in 0.3% NaCl chloride solution, and after solution treatment and quenching, we observed that applied artificial ageing at 190°C causes localized corrosion surrounding precipitates and then develops uniform corrosion in all zones, particularly in the fusion one. Finally, it is noted that the surface of different zones became nobler after applying solution heat treatment followed by natural ageing.