Effect of Heat Treatment on the Corrosion Behavior of Additively Manufactured and Cast AlSi10Mg

This study investigates the corrosion resistance of aluminum alloy AlSi10Mg to evaluate the influence of both manufacturing methods and heat treatments on its durability. The research compares samples produced via laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) and conventional casting, with subsets subjected to either no, T5 (artificial aging), and T6 (solution annealing and aging) heat treatment. All samples were exposed to an accelerated cyclic corrosion test, using immersion and drying cycles. Corrosion performance was quantified via mass loss (ML) measurements and analyzed using metallography. The analysis revealed that heat treatment (factor A) is the only statistically significant factor affecting mass loss. Even short exposure to the corrosive environment caused clearly visible surface changes. This suggests a significant decrease in corrosion resistance, linked to microstructural changes. While LPBF parts exhibited lower mass loss in the as-manufactured and T5 states, the T6 treatment negatively impacted both manufacturing routes.