Effects of Picture Frame Technique (PFT) on the corrosion behavior of 6061 aluminum alloy

The 6061 Al–Mg–Si alloy is used in nuclear fuel plates of nuclear research reactors which are fed with fuel in plate shapes. The production of these plates is based on the picture frame technique (PFT). The picture frame technique (PFT) is a manufacturing process for the fabrication of nuclear fuel plates where the nuclear fuel is encapsulated by Al alloy plates and thermomechanically processed to generate a set with reduced thickness. The effects of PFT on the corrosion resistance of the 6061 aluminum alloy were evaluated in this study by immersion and electrochemical tests in 0.005 mol L−1 NaCl solution. The results showed that the PFT fabrication process increases the corrosion resistance of the 6061 alloy in relation to the conventional 6061-T6, due phase dissolution and lower content of β’’ phase. Also, corrosion propagation gradually changes, with an increasing number of processing steps, from intergranular to intragranular corrosion attack.