Surface and Coatings Technology 165 (2003) 232–240 AlSi(Cu) anodic oxide layers formed in H2SO4 at low temperature using different current waveforms L.E. Fratila-Apachitei*, J. Duszczyk, L. Katgerman Faculty of Applied Sciences, Department of Materials Science and Technology, Delft University of Technology, Section of Advanced Materials and Solidification Technology, Rotterdamseweg 137, 2628 AL Delft, The Netherlands Received 21 June 2002; accepted in revised form 18 September 2002 Abstract Anodic oxidation of Al, AlSi10 and AlSi10Cu3 permanent mold cast substrates in 2.25 M H2 SO4 , at 0 8C for 50 min using different current waveforms (i.e. square, ramp-square, ramp-down and ramp-down spike) was performed, in an attempt to evaluate the effects of pulsed current on layer growth and properties. The pulses were unipolar and superimposed (amplitude ratio 4:1), applied with a frequency of 0.0125 Hz and a duty cycle of 75%. The same average current densities (i.e. 3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2) were imposed for all waveforms. The results on voltage transients, layer thickness, morphology, microhardness (HV0.025 ) and surface roughness (Ra) have been compared to the results obtained when direct and ramped current were applied. Voltage transients followed the current waveforms to a certain extent depending on the waveform shape and substrate composition. The differences obtained in layer properties were not statistically different relative to the direct current experiments and remained dependent mainly on substrate composition. 䊚 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. Keywords: Anodic oxide layers; Aluminum; Current waveforms; Microhardness; Surface roughness 1. Introduction Whereas hard anodizing of aluminum has been applied since 1950s, the use of pulsed current for the process started almost 30 years later, in the 1980s w1,2x. Since then, the main benefit of using pulsed current is believed to be related more with the possibility of anodizing at higher current densities andyor temperatures with lower chances of ‘burning’ (i.e. severe dissolution of the specimen). The effect is explained through enhanced heat dissipation during the base current, thus avoiding local overheating w3x. This is mainly important for the high strength aluminum alloys that are prone to burning before reaching the required layer thickness. The application of pulsed current in (hard) anodizing for enhancing layer properties remains a subject for research due to the lack of experimental and theoretical data. In general, the results obtained on aluminum or *Corresponding author. Tel.: q31-15-278-9083; fax: q31-15-2786730. E-mail address: e.l.apachitei@tnw.tudelft.nl (L.E. Fratila-Apachitei). dilute aluminum alloys w3–12x showed a certain improvement in some of the characteristics of the oxide layers formed (e.g. thickness, coating ratio, density, hardness, corrosion resistance, coloring) relative to direct current (d.c.) processes, provided that all the other conditions are similar. However, the lack of a statistical analysis of the results makes difficult the evaluation of the real benefits of the process or the translation of the results to a broader range of conditions (e.g. alloy compositions, microstructures). Furthermore, pulse characteristics such as type and shape, amplitude and frequency become additional process variables that have to be established, for each substrate composition and set of anodizing conditions, based on their impact on the oxide growth mechanismykinetics and layer properties. These relationships still await elucidation. The research so far w3–12x was focused on square pulses, sulfuric acid (with or without additives) and oxalic acid electrolytes, and aluminum or dilute aluminum alloys used as substrates. Sulfuric acid hard anodizing of permanent mold cast aluminum alloys (i.e. Al, AlSi10 and AlSi10Cu3) using (i) direct current, (ii) 0257-8972/03/$ - see front matter 䊚 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved. PII: S 0 2 5 7 - 8 9 7 2 Ž 0 2 . 0 0 7 3 3 - 8 L.E. Fratila-Apachitei et al. / Surface and Coatings Technology 165 (2003) 232–240 ramped current, (iii) square pulses, (iv) ramp-square pulses, (v) ramp-down pulses, and (vi) ramp-down spike pulses was performed in this study. The purpose was to evaluate the potential benefits of pulsed current (applied in new, different waveforms) when highly alloyed substrates are hard anodized. The resultant voltage transients, layer thickness, morphology, microhardness and surface roughness were compared with the d.c. and ramped current results. 2. Experimental 2.1. Anodic oxidation The substrates (i.e. Al, AlSi10, AlSi10Cu3) have been obtained by permanent mold casting as described elsewhere w13x. Prior to anodizing, the disk-shaped specimens (with a diameter of 45 mm and a thickness of 7 mm) have been automatically polished w13x, ultrasonically cleaned for 15 min in isopropanol and oven dried for 30 min at 50 8C. The anodic oxidation was performed in 2.25 M H2SO4, for 50 min at a temperature of 0.0"0.5 8C. A description of the equipment used and more experimental details are included in Ref. w13x. The experiments were carried out at constant average current densities (3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2) using four different shapes of current waveforms: square (sq), ramp-square (rsq), ramp-down (rd) and ramp-down spike (rds) (Fig. 1). The pulses were unipolar and superimposed. Their shapes were designed using the Windows-based, computer-aided, pulse-plating system (WinCapp) consisting of the WinCapp PC software, a power supply and a function generator. The current and 233 Table 1 Average current density and pulse characteristics Average current density Pulse characteristics j1t1qj2t2 t1qt2 0.33t1Ž2j1qj2.qj2t2 jrsqs t1qt2 0.625j1t1qj2t2 jrds t1qt2 B 721j1t1 E 1 jrdss =C qj2t2F G t1qt2 D 1960 t1s60 s, t2s20 s 1 j 2s j 1 4 1 Frequencys s0.0125 Hz t1qt2 t1 Duty cycles 100s75% t1qt2 jsqs voltage transients were recorded on-line using a sampling time interval of 3 s. The main pulse characteristics are shown in Table 1. The results obtained for the pulsed oxide layers were compared to the oxide layers produced using d.c. w13x and ramped (r) current. After anodizing, the specimens were rinsed in demineralized water for approximately 3 min, oven dried for 30 min at 50 8C and kept in desiccator until further testing. 2.2. Surface roughness Surface roughness, Ra for the substrates and anodized specimens was evaluated with a surface texture meter type Surtronic 3q. The Ra value indicates the arithmetic mean of the departures of the surface profile from the mean line (i.e. the line that bisects the profile such that the area below and above it is equal). The sampling distance was 2.5 cm. Six measurements were performed for each sample, towards the outer region of the diskshaped specimens in order to keep the same underlying Fig. 1. Schematic representation of the current waveforms: (a) direct current, d.c.; (b) ramped current, r; (c) square pulses, sq; (d) ramp-square pulses, rsq; (e) ramp-down pulses, rd; (f) ramp-down spike pulses, rds. The values for times t1, t2 (s) are included in Table 1 whereas j1s3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2, and j2s1y4 j1. 234 L.E. Fratila-Apachitei et al. / Surface and Coatings Technology 165 (2003) 232–240 microstructure and avoid the errors introduced by the pores from the casting process, present mainly in the center of the specimens. 2.3. Surface topography of the oxide layers The laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) technique has been used for analysis of surface topography of the oxide layers w13x. The two dimensional (2D) and three dimensional (3D) images were produced using a Leica TCS SP multi band confocal imaging spectrophotometer interfaced with a computer equipped with the software Leica (50=objective, 80 optical sections in a z-series, argon-ion laser, ls458 nm). The images were captured from the outer zone of the diskshaped specimens, similar to surface roughness measurements. comprising about six sampling points located at a distance of 50–100 mm. Three such profiles were measured for each sample. Since different current waveforms are expected to affect the structure of the aluminum oxide with possible influence on layer microhardness, the measurements were performed selectively on the Al2O3 matrix and not on the second-phase particles (e.g. Si, Al2Cu, AlFeSi) or their zone of influence. It is believed that at the latter locations, the potential differences in microhardness due to different matrix structure would be obscured by the more pronounced effect expected from the presence of second phases. The same tests have been performed for the substrates. The results represent the average and standard deviation of approximately 20 measurements for each sample. 2.4. Morphology of the oxide cross-section 3. Results and discussion Layer thickness measurements and morphological investigations have been performed by optical microscopy (cross-section) using (i) an Olympus BX60M microscope equipped with a digital camera type DP 10 and (ii) the software analysis. A section from each anodized disk was embedded in a transparent acrylic thermoplastic resin (to improve the contrast between the oxide layer and the resin) and was automatically polished following the next steps: grinding with 220-grade SiC abrasive paper (0.5 min, 10 N); polishing with 9mm (1 min, 20 N), 6-mm (4 min, 30 N) and 3-mm (3 min, 25 N) diamond suspensions, and final polishing with colloidal silica suspension (1 min, 10 N). Ultrasonic cleaning in ethanol was performed in between two successive steps for both the samples and their holder. The data on layer thickness represent the average and standard deviation of 60–80 readings for each sample. Anodic oxidation of permanent mold cast aluminum substrates (i.e. Al, AlSi10 and AlSi10Cu3) was performed in 2.25 M H2SO4, at 0 8C for 50 min using different current waveforms. Pulse characteristics, i.e. type (unipolar and superimposed), frequency (0.0125 Hz), duty cycle (75%) and amplitude ratio (4:1) were established based on existing studies w3–12,14x performed on anodic oxidation of aluminum substrates in sulfuric acid electrolytes (with or without additives) at temperatures ranging from 5 to 40 8C and using square pulses. The same average current densities were imposed for all the waveforms, i.e. 3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2. Next to the square pulses, the selected current waveforms included three new ones (i.e. ramp-square, rampdown and ramp-down spike). Some of the latter have been tested in electrodeposition of nickel w15–17x. The results on voltage transients, layer thickness, morphology, microhardness and roughness have been compared with the results obtained when d.c. and ramped current were applied, the most used current waveforms in the industrial practice. 2.5. Cell structure investigation by scanning electron microscopy Samples anodized at 4.2 A dmy2 using square pulses were fractured under liquid nitrogen and the resultant sections were coated with a thin gold layer (f1 nm) prior to the scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis performed using a JEOL JSM 840A microscope, under a voltage of 15 kV. 2.6. Microhardness Vickers microhardness of the oxide layers was determined using an automatic Buehler Omnimet microhardness tester and a 25-g load (i.e. HV0.025). The measurements have been performed on the oxide crosssection using an indent profile parallel with the substrateyoxide interface at half thickness of the layer, 3.1. Voltage transients Typical voltage transients obtained for the three different compositions when anodized under the selected current waveforms, are presented in Fig. 2. The general trend of the voltage transients for each composition is similar with that obtained using d.c. w13x. Secondary transients are present for the binary and ternary systems associated with an increase in voltage rate for AlSi10 and a decrease in dVydt for the AlSi10Cu3 substrate. The final voltages increased in the order Al-AlSi10Cu3-AlSi10 with no particular trend related to the shape of current waveform. L.E. Fratila-Apachitei et al. / Surface and Coatings Technology 165 (2003) 232–240 235 Fig. 2. Voltage transients for different current waveforms (r—ramped current; sq—square pulses; rsq—ramp-square pulses; rd—ramp-down pulses; rds—ramp-down spike pulses). Anodic oxidation was performed in 2.25 M H2SO4, 0 8C, 50 min at 3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2. The sampling interval time for the current and voltage data was 3 s thus following well the current waveforms imposed at a frequency of 0.0125 Hz. It is, however, observed that the voltage waveforms differ to some extent from the current waveforms. Firstly, the peak to base voltage ratio increases with anodizing time for all 236 L.E. Fratila-Apachitei et al. / Surface and Coatings Technology 165 (2003) 232–240 types of waveforms, the effect being more pronounced for the AlSi10 composition. This effect can be determined by the increasing resistance of the thickening oxide layer. Secondly, in the case of AlSi10 composition, it is observed that out of the four current waveforms, the ramp-down (mainly during the first transient) and rampdown spike current shapes seem to be best translated in the voltage transients. The square pulses look more like ramp-up pulses whereas ramp-square pulses translate into saw-tooth shape. For the AlSi10Cu3 substrate, square and ramp-down spike current shapes were better translated in the voltage transients. The ramp-square pulses become more like saw-tooth pulses and the rampdown pulses show a pattern that resembles the rampdown spike shape. These effects are probably caused by the recovery effects in response to the predetermined changes in current. Thirdly, in the case of square pulses, the voltage during the base current showed a different evolution with anodizing time for the three substrates. Thus, for Al and AlSi10 substrates, initially the voltage during the base current increased (i.e. dVydt)0), then it showed a constant value (i.e. dVydts0) and decreased (i.e. dVydt-0) towards the end of the experiment. In the case of AlSi10Cu3 substrate, the voltage during the base current remains relatively stable (i.e. dVydtf0). 3.2. Layer thickness and morphology The results on layer thickness (h) at 3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2 are presented in Fig. 3 and the oxide growth rates (dhydt) are included in Table 2. The large standard deviations for the layer thickness make the differences obtained using different current waveforms not statistically significant relative to the d.c. results. In other words, none of the waveforms could increase significantly the thickness of the oxides, regardless of the substrate composition. Large standard deviations indicate a non-uniform layer thickness that is determined by the presence of second-phase particles that affects local current distribution and consequently oxide morphology. For the ternary substrate, the results indicate that the ramp-down spike pulses may have a favorable effect for the growth of the oxide layer as maximum layer thickness was obtained (i.e. 77.2"17 mm at 4.2 A dmy2 relative to 68.9"17 mm when d.c. was used). Since the same average current density was applied, this increase may be determined by the effects of pulses on local current distribution. However, the improvement was not significant relative to the d.c. results indicating that further optimization of the pulse parameters may be required. The oxide morphology, as determined by optical microscopy (Fig. 4), was similar to that obtained during the d.c. experiments w13x. Entrapment of certain particles Fig. 3. Thickness of the oxide layers formed at 3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2 using different current waveforms (2.25 M H2SO4, 0 8C, 50 min). in the oxide (e.g. Si, AlFeSi) associated with roughening of the substrateyoxide interface, flaws around eutectic silicon and defects associated with the oxidation of Al2Cu intermetallic were the main features observed. The cell structure of the oxide layers formed at 4.2 A dmy2 using square pulses was revealed by SEM analysis of the cryofractures (Fig. 5). The images were selected from areas with no defects generated by the second phases. The stairs-like pattern may have been determined by the layered structure of the oxide formed Table 2 Oxide growth rates for the three different substrates after 50 min anodizing at 3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2 applied in different waveforms Current wave form dhydt (mm miny1) Al AlSi10 3.0 4.2 3.0 4.2 3.0 4.2 r sq rsq rd rds – 1.1 – – – 1.46 1.69 – – – – 1.01 1.11 1.13 1.48 1.48 1.47 – – – 0.90 – 0.95 0.94 1.38 1.46 1.42 1.47 1.54 d.c. 1.1 1.52 0.97 1.42 0.90 1.38 AlSi10Cu3 L.E. Fratila-Apachitei et al. / Surface and Coatings Technology 165 (2003) 232–240 237 Following a significant increase relative to the substrates, the trend indicates minor differences among different current waveforms at both current densities and for the three compositions. In the case of AlSi10Cu3 substrate anodized at 4.2 A dmy2 (Fig. 6b), the rampsquare waveform appears to result in a decrease in microhardness whereas the ramp-down and ramp-down spike seem to have a relatively beneficial effect. The values obtained using d.c. lie in between those obtained using pulsed current, making the differences statistically not significant. This may indicate that the envisaged structural changes (i.e. cell geometry), due to the use Fig. 4. Optical micrographs of oxide cross-sections: (a) Al; (b) AlSi10; (c) AlSi10Cu3 (4.2 A dmy2, square pulses, 2.25 M H2SO4, 0 8C, 50 min). Inclusion of certain second phases in the oxide layers, i.e. Fe bearing particles (a) and Si particles (b), and defects generated by Al2Cu (c) are observed. during the base and peak currents. At the transition zones, merging or branching of the pores may represent points of minimum resistance during layer fracture. Similar images of the d.c. oxides did not show this pattern regularly. 3.3. Microhardness As already mentioned, the Vickers microhardness was determined for the Al2O3 matrices to avoid the more pronounced effects of second phases. The results are presented in Fig. 6. Fig. 5. SEM micrographs of the oxide cryofractures: (a) Al; (b) AlSi10; (c) AlSi10Cu3 (4.2 A dmy2, square pulses, 2.25 M H2SO4, 0 8C, 50 min). 238 L.E. Fratila-Apachitei et al. / Surface and Coatings Technology 165 (2003) 232–240 of microhardness, the effect of pulsed current on the oxide surface roughness for a certain substrate composition is not significantly different when compared with the d.c. results. Among different current waveforms, square pulses and ramp-down spike pulses seem to favor the increase in roughness for the AlSi10 and AlSi10Cu3 substrates whereas ramped current seems to decrease it. However, the effects of pulsed current on the oxide layers roughness could not determine modifications of their surface topography, as shown by the laser scanning confocal micrographs of the AlSi10Cu3 samples anodized at 4.2 A dmy2 using square pulses and rampdown pulses (Fig. 8). It appears that the different current waveforms could not surmount the effects of large second-phase particles (especially silicon particles) on the current distribution over the macroscopic substratey oxide interface. While no (statistically) significant changes were observed for the different characteristics of the oxides formed under different current waveforms, the general Fig. 6. Vickers microhardness (HV0.025 ) of the Al2O3 matrix formed at 3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2 using different current waveforms (2.25 M H2SO4, 0 8C, 50 min). ‘Sub’ indicates substrates. of different current waveforms, did not result in improved microhardness of the alumina matrix. In addition, the presence of alloying elements in the solid solution (i.e. Si, Cu) seems to have little influence on the microhardness of the alumina matrix probably due to the low solubility of silicon in aluminum (e.g. -0.05 at.% at room temperature w18x) and higher migration rate of the incorporated copper ions relative to aluminum ions (f3= w19x) favoring their ejection into the electrolyte. 3.4. Surface roughness After anodizing, surface roughness increased significantly (i.e. 10–30 times) in the order Al-AlSi10AlSi10Cu3 (Fig. 7). Surface roughness results reflect the effect of multiphase alloy composition on the growth of anodic oxide layers. The presence of silicon particles and of copper containing intermetallics with a lower and respectively higher oxidation rate relative to the aluminum matrix leads to scalloped oxide surfaces originating from a rough substrateyoxide interface (Fig. 4). As in the case Fig. 7. Surface roughness of the oxide layers formed at 3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2 using different current waveforms (2.25 M H2 SO4 , 0 8C, 50 min). ‘Sub’ indicates substrates. L.E. Fratila-Apachitei et al. / Surface and Coatings Technology 165 (2003) 232–240 239 Fig. 8. 2D and 3D LSCM micrographs revealing the surface topography of the AlSi10Cu3 oxide layers formed at 4.2 A dmy2 using square pulses (a and b) and ramp-down pulses (c and d) (2.25 M H2SO4, 0 8C, 50 min). trend of these screening experiments indicates (at least for the ternary composition at 4.2 A dmy2) that rampdown spike current may help in slightly improving oxide layer thickness and microhardness, at the expense of surface roughness, whereas ramped current without spikes can be an alternative to decrease surface roughness (for binary and ternary substrates). Therefore, refining pulse characteristics for these current waveforms that showed a beneficial trend should not be excluded in a further attempt to significantly improve such layer properties. In parallel however, efforts should be focused on understanding the effects of pulsed current on oxide growth kinetics for different substrate compositions as a prerequisite for the selection of certain type and shape of current waveform. In addition, the results of this study indicate that it is not sufficient and sometimes not reliable to judge the effects of pulse anodizing process, especially when multiphase alloys are used as substrates, based only on scarce results without being referenced to the d.c. results and without a statistical processing of the data, as frequently encountered in literature. 4. Conclusions The paper presented the results on the effects of different current waveforms on the growth of anodic oxide layers on permanent mold cast Al, AlSi10 and AlSi10Cu3 substrates in 2.25 M H2SO4 at 0 8C for 50 min. The current waveforms used were square, rampsquare, ramp-down and ramp-down spike. The same average current densities were imposed (i.e. 3.0 and 4.2 A dmy2) for all current waveforms and the results were referenced to the d.c. and ramped current, the most used waveforms in practice. The main conclusions can be summarized as follows. (i) The general trend of the voltage transients was similar to that of the d.c. experiments. However, certain current waveforms (e.g. square, ramp-square) were not fully translated into the voltage transients. (ii) For a certain substrate composition, layer properties investigated, i.e. thickness, microhardness, surface roughness and morphology, showed no significant changes at different current waveforms relative to the d.c. experiments. Among the different current waveforms, the ramp-down spike current had slightly beneficial effects on layer thickness and microhardness at the expense of surface roughness (for the ternary substrate) whereas ramped currents without spikes may be an alternative to lower the surface roughness (for binary and ternary substrates). Refining pulse characteristics for these waveforms should be considered, with a parallel focus on their effects on oxide growth kinetics for different substrate compositions. 240 L.E. Fratila-Apachitei et al. / Surface and Coatings Technology 165 (2003) 232–240 (iii) The significant differences in layer properties remained determined by substrate composition. (iv) The effects of pulsed current on hard anodizing of multiphase aluminum alloys should be evaluated based on statistical data processing and extensive experimental and theoretical investigations. Acknowledgments The research is financially supported by the Innovatiegerichte Onderzoekprogramma (IOP) Oppervlaktetechnologie (project IOT 99002), The Netherlands. Many thanks are due to Mr Tommy C. Dorge from TCD Teknology ApS, Denmark for his technical assistance with the WinCapp system. References w1x A.W. Brace, The Technology of Anodizing Aluminium, third ed., Interall Srl, Modena, Italy, 2000. w2x S. Wernick, R. Pinner, P.G. Sheasby, The Surface Treatment and Finishing of Aluminium and its Alloys, fifth ed., Finishing Publication Ltd, UK, 1987. w3x K. Yokohama, H. Konno, H. Takahashi, M. Nagayama, Plat. Surf. Finish. 69 (1982) 62. w4x T. Takahashi, J. Saitoh, Plat. Surf. Finish. 64 (1977) 36. w5x D. Kanagaraj, S. Vincent, V.L. Narasimhan, B. Electrochem. 5 (1989) 513. w6x A. Deacon Juhl, P. Møller, Aluminium Extrusion 4y4 (1999) 43. w7x H.-H. Shih, S.-L. Tzou, Surf. Coat. Technol. 124 (2000) 278. w8x D. Kanagaraj, V.L. Narasimhan, S. Vincent, S. Chandrasekaran, B. Birlasekaran, B. Electrochem. 2 (1986) 597. w9x V.L. Narasimhan, S. Vincent, D. Kanagaraj, B. Electrochem. 5 (1989) 505. w10x A. Deacon Juhl, Proceedings of the Fourth World Congress Aluminum 2000, Brescia, Italy, 2000, p. 31. w11x M. He, W. Jian-Sheng, H. Wen-Bin, L. Lei, J. Shanghai Jiaotong Univ. 33 (1999) 808. w12x V. Komisarov, A.R. Tholen, ¨ ´ Mater. Sci. Eng. A 151 (1992) 197. w13x L.E. Fratila-Apachitei, J. Duszczyk, L. Katgerman, Surf. Coat. Technol. 157 (2002) 80. w14x J. Rasmussen, Met. Finish. 99 (2001) 46. w15x K.P. Wong, K.C. Chan, T.M. Yue, Surf. Coat. Technol. 115 (1999) 132. w16x K.P. Wong, K.C. Chan, T.M. Yue, Surf. Coat. Technol. 135 (2000) 91. w17x K.P. Wong, K.C. Chan, T.M. Yue, Surf. Coat. Technol. 140 (2001) 284. w18x T. Massalski, Binary Alloy Phase Diagram, vol. 1, American Society for Metals, Metals Park, OH, 1986, p. 164. w19x H. Habazaki, X. Zhou, K. Shimizu, P. Skeldon, G.E. Thompson, G.C. Wood, Electrochim. Acta 42 (1997) 2627.
© Copyright 2024