Effect of simulated brazing on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of twin roll cast AA3003

Aluminum alloy (AA) 3003 is widely used as fin and tube material in heat exchangers. In these heat exchangers, the tube and fin material are brazed together by means of an AA4xxx alloy. In this study, the effect of a simulated brazing step on the microstructure and corrosion behavior of a twin roll casted (TRC) AA3003 was studied. In particular, the effect of simulated brazing on the corrosion properties of the centre line segregation (CLS) of alloying elements and the interaction of the intermetallic particles with the surrounding matrix is explored. It is shown that the cross sections are significantly more active than the surface of the TRC AA3003, revealing the importance of the CLS on the corrosion behavior. Furthermore, it is shown that the number of pits and their depths decreased considerably on the exposed cross sections after simulated brazing, especially near the CLS. Scanning Kelvin probe force microscopy measurements show that after the simulated brazing step the Volta potential difference between the intermetallic particles and the matrix reduced significantly. This change in the Volta potential could be caused by the slight increase of Si content in the matrix.