CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION
1.1 ANODIZATION
The anodization process of metals has been used by industry to protect metal
components from corrosion. During this electro-chemical process the surface
chemistry of the metal is changed, via oxidation, to produce an anodic oxide
layer that is thick enough to stifle further oxidation. Aluminum metal (Al),
because of its high strength to weight ratio, has found numerous engineering
applications. Two types of anodic Al oxide exist; the first is a non-porous
barrier layer that is thin, hard, and wear resistant and behaves as an electrical
insulator. The second, a thicker porous oxide structure, is called the anodic
aluminum oxide (AAO) layer. This layer structure has a high aspect ratio and
consists of a porous structure. In engineering applications, this pore structure
must be sealed to prevent corrosion.
1.2 AA 6061
AA 6061 alloy are extremely useful in gas turbine, space vehicles, aircraft,
nuclear reactors, submarine, petrochemical equipments. AA 6061 contains
Silicon and Magnesium as the main constituting elements. The other elements
of this alloy include Iron, Copper, Manganese, Chromium, and Zinc along with
lesser amounts of Titanium. These alloys have good formability, weldability,
machinability & corrosion resistance, with medium strength. Because of its
excellent mechanical and metallurgical properties this alloy finds extensive use
in gas turbines, rocket motors, spacecraft, and nuclear reactors. This material
should possess high corrosion resistance and wear resistance which is not
achieved by the natural oxide layer formed. Therefore, anodization is one of the
most suitable method by which this can be achieved.


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1.3 REPORT OVERVIEW
This report contains the details of the thesis work conducted at Launch Control
Systems Division at Liquid Propulsion Systems Center and Surface Treatment
facility at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre of Indian Space Research
Organization.
This report describes about the anodization of AA 6061 by varying various
parameters. This report is divided into 3 chapters.
The first chapter is the Introduction to the thesis works which includes the
details of the anodization and AA 6061.
The second chapter is the Literature Review which contains the details of the
past works related with the thesis. It also covers the objective of the project
work.
Third chapter, Experiments & Methods, contains experiment design, procedure,
and scheme of experiment.