Simulation of corrosion phenomena in automotive components

The study of corrosion phenomena is of primary importance in the metallurgical industry and in the automotive sector. With the advent and use of electric power and propulsion vehicles, industries become also interested in all aspects concerning the corrosion of the constituting parts connected to batteries and to their recharging system. So, there is a need to perform experimental corrosion tests on components called "busbars". Furthermore, the simulation of physical phenomena using software based on finite elements, has recently become largely widespread, because of time saving and costs reduction. In this paper, a Cu busbar coated with a Ni-based alloy film (Alloy 600) of 2 mu m of initial average thickness has been investigated. The objective is to evaluate the thinning over time of the coating exposed to a salt fog (5%wt NaCl) through both FEM simulation and empirical tests. The simulation object of this study, carried out using COMSOL Multiphysics software, was conducted for a total time of exposure to corrosive agent up to 1000 h, with intervals of 100 h.