Consequence of coherent Cu₅Zr precipitates and Cu₂O passive layer formation on the corrosive behaviour of additively processed Cu-Cr-Zr alloy in simulated seawater

Abstract The Cu-Cr-Zr copper alloy is known for its outstanding electrical conductivity and fatigue strength. However, the corrosion behaviour of the copper alloy should also be taken into account when adopting it in industrial applications, especially in the marine environments. This research aims to fabricate Cu alloy coupons using the Laser Powder Bed Fusion (LPBF) technique and subsequently test their corrosive performance in simulated seawater. This research confirms that the Cu 5 Zr precipitate formation during the LPBF process and the Cu 2 O passive layer formation were the main reason for the enhanced corrosive behavior of the LPBFed copper alloy. The OM (Optical Microscope), FESEM (Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope) images supported in evaluating melt pool formations and irregularities, and also confirmed the polycrystalline structure. The diffraction pattern from the TEM (Transmission Electron Microscope) analysis confirmed the formation of Cu 5 Zr precipitate and grain size distribution, while their orientations were obtained from the EBSD (Electron Based Scattered Diffraction) EBSD analysis. Micro hardness was executed on the scanning and building directions, and it was found that the building direction possessed higher hardness of 54 HV 0.3 which was 5% higher than in the scanning direction. This significant fluctuation in the hardness value is due to the closely packed equiaxed and columnar grains along the outer and inner regions of the melt pools. Potentio-dynamic polarization (PD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests were performed on the printed copper alloy parts for various immersion periods of 0, 9, 18 and 38 h. Further, the XRD (x-ray Diffraction) analysis was performed on the corroded surface and it confirmed the Cu 2 O passive layer and the occurrence of Cu 5 Zr precipitate. The occurrence of Cu 5 Zr precipitates and Cu 2 O passive layer formation helped attain the maximum polarization resistance of 2033.8 ohm and minimum current density of 5.928 × 10 −6 A cm −2 with minimum surface roughness of 3.447 μm.