Structure and Properties of Aluminum Alloys Modified with Silicon Carbide by Laser Surface Treatment

We study the structure and properties of AA6082 and AA7075 aluminum alloys modified with particles of SiC with the help of a laser. It is shown that the wear resistance of alloys laser reinforced with SiC in the case of friction against an abrasive wheel is 30–75 times higher than for nonmodified alloys. On the basis of the data of electrochemical investigations, it is shown that, for AA7075 alloy, the influence of its structural heterogeneity on the variation of corrosion potentials decreases as the corrosion activity of the medium increases. We measured the values of corrosion currents of the surfaces of alloys in various corrosive solutions. __________ Translated from Fizyko-Khimichna Mekhanika Materialiv, Vol. 41, No. 3, pp. 34–40, May–June, 2005.