Electrochemical Corrosion Behavior of 5083 Aluminum Alloy Subjected to Laser Shock Peening

This paper investigates the effect of ablative coating used during laser shock peening (LSP) on corrosion behavior of 5083 aluminum alloy in artificial seawater. Micro-hardness, residual stress, and surface morphology of the specimens were measured. The corrosion behavior was investigated by electrochemical test. Surface corrosion morphologies after electrochemical tests were examined by SEM and EDS. The results show that surface roughness and surface compressive residual stress of the specimen treated by LSP without ablative coating (LSPwC) are lower than that of the specimen treated by LSP with ablative coating under the same laser energy. The open-circuit potentials and self-corrosion potentials of the specimens treated by LSP and LSPwC both shift positively, and the diameters of the capacitor arcs were larger after LSP and LSPwC. The corrosion resistance of 5083 aluminum alloy is improved by LSP and LSPwC. Moreover, superior corrosion resistance is achieved without using the ablative coating during LSP.