Influence of TiO2 Additives on Cavitation Erosion Resistance of Al-Mg Alloy Micro-Arc Oxidation Coating

Four ceramic coatings are fabricated on 6061 aluminum alloy substrates with a micro-arc oxidation technique in silicate electrolytes with different TiO2 nano-additive concentrations. To explore the cavitation erosion resistance of the micro-arc oxidation (MAO) coating, cavitation tests are performed using a vibratory test rig. After cavitation tests lasting 10 min, the mass losses, surface morphologies, and chemical compositions of the samples after cavitation tests are examined using a digital balance, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The results indicate that, in contrast to the aluminum alloy, the MAO coatings, by adjusting TiO2 nano-additive concentration, can decrease the mean depth of erosion rate (MDER) due to the cavitation damage, and lead to an excellent cavitation erosion resistance. The results also show that: In contrast to aluminum alloy, MAO coatings can decrease the MDER due to the cavitation damage in a short period of time by adjusting TiO2 nano-additive concentration. With the increase of TiO2 nano-additive concentration, the compactness and the surface hardness of MAO coatings decrease, which can easily lead to larger erosion pits.