# Stress Corrosion Cracking (SCC) Resistance of the AW-5083 Alloy with a Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) Coating in the Presence of Chloride (Cl−)

## TL;DR

This study compares the corrosion resistance of a PEO-coated aluminum alloy in chloride environments to its uncoated form.

## Contribution

The paper provides new experimental data on SCC resistance of PEO-coated AW-5083 alloy in chloride environments.

## Key findings

- PEO coating significantly improves electrochemical resistance to corrosion in chloride environments.
- The coating enhances SCC resistance of AW-5083 alloy under tensile loading.
- Distinct cracking features of the PEO coating under stress are observed and analyzed.

## Abstract

This article presents a comparative study of mechanical properties and stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance of bare AW-5083 aluminum alloy and the same alloy coated by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). Although Al–Mg alloys of the 5XXX series have been extensively studied with respect to SCC behavior, data concerning their performance after PEO treatment under mechanical loading in chloride-containing environments remain scarce. Prior to SCC testing, potentiodynamic polarization measurements were performed to assess the barrier properties of the PEO coating against general corrosion. The results demonstrate that the PEO coating significantly modifies the electrochemical response of the alloy and improves its resistance to corrosion processes in the presence of chloride ions. SCC tests revealed that the application of the PEO coating leads to enhanced resistance to stress-assisted degradation of the AW-5083 alloy, while distinct features of coating cracking under tensile loading were observed and discussed. The study provides new experimental insight into the combined mechanical and electrochemical behavior of PEO-coated AW-5083 alloy exposed to chloride environments.