⇒ High-strength aluminium (Al) alloys are extensively used in aerospace, textile, and automotive applications. Aerospace components made out of aluminium alloys include landing gear, wing spar etc. These parts often need resistance against wear, corrosion damages, and enhanced fatigue life. The widely used technique for aluminium alloys to improve corrosion resistance is called hard anodizing (HA) process. It involves sulphuric/oxalic based electrolytes, which emits not only toxic fumes but are also hazardous to handle during processing.
In order to cater to the growing demand for cleaner industrial processes, Indian Scientists have developed an environmental-friendly process, which can provide excellent corrosion resistance to the high-strength aluminium (Al) alloys extensively used in aerospace, textile, and automotive applications.
MAO Process:
The environmental-friendly process to provide excellent corrosion resistance is called micro-arc oxidation (MAO). MAO is a high-voltage driven anodic-oxidation process, which through an electrochemical method, produces an oxide film on a metallic substrates.
It has been developed at International Advanced Research Centre for Powder Metallurgy and New Materials (ARCI), an autonomous R&D Centre of the Department of Science and Technology.
The ARCI team has further designed and developed a duplex treatment of shot peening. Shot peening is a process used to modify the mechanical properties of metals and alloys. After that MAO coating is done on them. The process enhances the life of aerospace Al alloys.
This work has been recently published in the ‘International Journal of Fatigue’.