Anodic film formation on high strength aluminium alloy FVS0812

Barrier-type film growth on the high strength aluminium alloy FVS0812 has been studied by a combination of transmission electron microscopy and Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy. The film is composed mainly of amorphous anodic alumina, but is contaminated with iron species incorporated into the film from the alloy. The film may also be contaminated with silicon and vanadium species at levels below the detection limit of the present experiments. The contaminant species are primarily incorporated locally into the film during oxidation of Al₁₃(Fe, V)₃Si dispersoids and the resulting film material is of reduced resistivity compared with anodic alumina of high purity. As a consequence of the presence of regions of film material of differing resistivities, the film is of irregular thickness. The average thickness corresponds to a nm/V ratio of about 1.3. Iron species incorporated into the film migrate outwards at roughly 2.1 times the rate of Al³⁺ ions. The iron species are not ejected in significant amounts to the electrolyte on reaching the film/electrolyte interface and hence, a thin layer of film material highly enriched in iron species develops at the film surface. The layer may also be enriched in vanadium species, if these are incorporated into the film and migrate more rapidly than Al³⁺ ions. Enrichment of iron, and possibly other alloying element atoms, is found in a thin layer of alloy immediately beneath the anodic film, paralleling enrichments of alloying element atoms found following anodic oxidation of other aluminium alloys. The enrichments at both the alloy/film and film/electrolyte interfaces do not appear to be continuous across the macroscopic surface of the specimens, probably due to the non-uniformity of film growth on the two-phase substrate. The maximum voltage for the selected conditions of anodizing was limited to 68 V as a result of oxygen generation at flaws which are present extensively in the anodic film.