Title: Multiscale Corrosion Assessment of Additively Manufactured Al6061 RAM2

Program: Materials Science and Engineering PhD

Committee Chair: Mike Hurley

Committee: Mike Hurley, Brian Jaques, Davide Estrada, Paul Davis, Eliza Montgomery

Abstract: Additive manufacturing (AM) is increasingly desired for aerospace applications because it enables rapid production of complex geometries with fewer processing steps and reduced risk of human error. However, many alloys remain challenging to process by AM, often exhibiting undesirable properties after fabrication. To address these limitations, in-situ alloying strategies have been developed to incorporate intermetallic and ceramic reinforcements directly into the feedstock. One such approach, Reactive Additive Manufacturing (RAM), developed by Elementum 3D, has demonstrated improvements in the mechanical performance of AM alloys. Despite these advances, the influence of RAM on corrosion behavior remains largely unexplored.
This work investigates the corrosion properties of AM Al6061 RAM2 using a multiscale testing approach. Electrochemical methods in a three-electrode cell were used to identify the kinetic aspects of corrosion as a function of heat treatment and build orientation. Complementary thermodynamic insights were obtained using Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM), which mapped nanoscale variations in surface potential across the alloy microstructure. Finally, long-term atmospheric exposure tests were conducted at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center Beachside Corrosion Test Site to evaluate corrosion behavior under real-world conditions. Together, these results provide a comprehensive understanding of the corrosion mechanisms in AM Al6061 RAM2, bridging nanoscale observations with macroscale performance.