Investigation of Cathodic Cleaning Processes of Aluminum Alloy

On covering aluminum and its alloys with coatings resistant to high-temperature corrosion and attrition, abundant technological problems arise. The key problem is a removal of the film of aluminum oxide Аl2O3 from the aluminum substrate. This permanent, chemically continuous film of oxide reduces adhesion between the substrate and the coating. For improving cohesion of the coating with the substrate, an appropriate pre-treatment of aluminum is required. In the paper, cleaning of aluminum alloy AW 5754 by electric discharge is investigated. This method is considered one of most environmentally friendly methods of surface cleaning. The impact of the parameters of aluminum alloy cathodic cleaning on the surface cleaning width, its roughness and free energy of the surface were examined. In addition, the topography, microstructure and chemical composition of the surface of cleaned aluminum alloy were estimated.