Processing of Aluminum in Plasma Electrolyte During the Anodic Process

Abstract

Electrolytic–plasma processes are new highly efficient and environmentally friendly methods of surface treatment of metals and alloys and can be used for polishing and cleaning metal surfaces for thermal chemical-thermal processing. The present work involves the study of regimes installed on the active electrode made of aluminum during anodic process and the use of these modes to polish its surface, as well as for simultaneous polishing of a surface of the anode and removal of the coating from the surface of the copper plating of the cathode. The oxygen content and the surface roughness of the metal before and after treatment was evaluated according to profilometry and energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry X-ray analysis (EDAX). The composition, microstructure, morphology and adhesion of the copper coating is removed from the cathode surface have been studied depending on the processing parameters.

The results show that the electrolytic-plasma processes can be effectively used for polishing the surface of aluminum, simultaneous polishing of the aluminum anode, and removing the copper coating from the cathode.