Corrosion protection and galvanic corrosion prevention for 7075 Al and Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn alloys. Final report

Sulfuric-acid-anodized and electroless-nickel-plated 7075 aluminum alloy panels successfully passed 96 hours of salt spray testing when galvanically coupled to duplex-annealed Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn alloy panels. Adherent paint deposits were produced on the titanium alloy and electroless nickel surfaces using a wash primer, an epoxy primer, and a urethane paint coating. A painted part survived 35 cycles of alternating salt spray and hot and freezing environments without blistering. A low chloride cutting fluid was selected for production machining of Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn, based on chemical analysis and stress-corrosion tests. A cleaning process was developed to remove both titanium and aluminum cutting fluids. Modified wedge-opening-loading specimens were used to verify that no stress-corrosion cracking problems occurred with the duplex-annealed Ti-6Al-6V-2Sn alloy because of residual titanium or aluminum cutting fluids