About this Abstract |
| Meeting |
2026 TMS Annual Meeting & Exhibition
|
| Symposium
|
Environmental Degradation of Additively Manufactured Materials
|
| Presentation Title |
Correlating Melt Pool Composition-Electrochemical Potential Relationships in Remelted Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) Zinc Anodes: Quantifying Cathodic Protection Performance |
| Author(s) |
Minh Hong Tran, Elena Romanowski, John R. Scully, Ji H. Ma |
| On-Site Speaker (Planned) |
Minh Hong Tran |
| Abstract Scope |
Aluminum alloy AA5456 suffers intergranular corrosion in marine environments due to anodic β-phase precipitates. This study investigates LPBF fabrication of sacrificial zinc patterns to enhance cathodic protection. Initial LPBF produces heterogeneous Zn-Al mixing, generating compositional gradients that may limit anode effectiveness relative to pure zinc but also allows tunability. SVET results demonstrated this limitation through anodic versus cathodic activation of individual dots, though Zn-islands provided effective cathodic protection for AA5456-DoS65. The remelting (RM) technique shows promising potential for improving sacrificial anode performance by minimizing heterogeneous Zn-Al distribution in melt-pool. This improved homogeneity creates well-connected zinc channel networks across surfaces, essential for sustained cathodic protection. During remelting, zinc evaporation occurs due to high vapor-pressure, systematically decreasing zinc concentration and shifting electrochemical-potential to be less negative, creating a passivation region. This RM approach enhances Zn-island protection for AA5456-DoS65 substrate. Electrochemical testing confirms that remelted anodes maintain protective capabilities for long-term marine applications. |
| Proceedings Inclusion? |
Planned: |
| Keywords |
Additive Manufacturing, Environmental Effects, Aluminum |