Corrosion Behaviour of Aluminium Engine Block in 3.5% NaCl Solution

In the present work, the corrosion behavior of aluminium alloy engine block in 3.5% NaCl solution was studied. The work was carried out using conventional gravimetric measurements and com- plemented by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray analyzer (EDX) investigations. The results obtained indicate that the main process the alloy undergoes, under the medium of expo- sure studied, is related to localized corrosion that takes place as a consequence of the process of alkalinization around the cathodic precipitates existing in the alloy. The alloy suffers a process of corrosion localized to the area surrounding the precipitates of the Al (Si, Mg) and Al-Mg, which resulted in hemispherical pits. This identification was confirmed by SEM and EDX analysis. No evidence was found of the formation of crystallographic pitting for exposure times up to 54 days. Gravimetric analysis confirmed that with varying exposure periods the weight loss of the alloy in- creases and the corrosion rate decreases with time.