Simulation of Aluminum Alloy Corrosion Behavior Based on Cellular Automaton Method

The corrosion behavior of aluminium alloy was simulated from a mesoscopic scale based on cellular automaton method. Combined with the localized corrosion mechanism of metal, a new pitting model with the coupling between diffusion and spatially separated electrochemical reaction was established. The expansion of pitting, diffusion of ions and formation of corrosion products were simulated according to the physical and chemical processes of the cathodic and anodic semi-reactions. The autocatalytic phenomenon in anodic region was simulated by regulating the values of λ and ε, and the corrosion morphology of a single pit changing with simulation time was obtained. The simulated results were compared with the actual corrosion morphology of aluminium alloy. The results show that cellular automaton is a feasible approach to model the electrochemical corrosion of aluminum alloy, which is important to understand the corrosion of aluminum alloy and study the structural integrity of the alloy.