Corrosion Resistance and Mechanical Properties of Amorphous Metal Honeycombs

Abstract

Honeycombs are light weight structural materials that are typically used as cores in sandwich panels. Strength, mechanical energy absorption, and corrosion resistance are characteristics of a honeycomb. Recently discovered amorphous metal honeycombs with their high strength, elastic modulus, and corrosion resistance are potential structural materials for aircraft and marine applications. B. Jayakumar et al were successful in making an Amorphous Metal Honeycomb (AMH) with unprecedented specific strength. Strength retention after exposure to harsh environments is beneficial for any structural material. Properties of a honeycomb depend largely on the base material properties. Studying the corrosion performance of AMH is a challenge as it involves studying the base material, cell nodes, and shear bands formed in making AMH. This work focuses on contributions of the base material and shear bands to the corrosion performance of AMH. In this study, corrosion of amorphous Fe-Ni, Fe-Cr based metallic glasses were investigated using 3.5% NaCl immersion and salt spray tests. A novel method of measuring thickness loss using radiography and estimation of strength retention capacity was proposed. This was compared with strength retention capacity of commercially available PAA coated Aluminum honeycomb.