HDA Coating on AISI 1045 Steel with Enhanced Corrosion and Wear Performance

Wang, Jiajie; Gu, Siyu; Ma, Heyi; Yu, Hongfei; Yang, Chuang; Zhao, Jiaxiang; Zhang, Xiaochen

doi:10.3390/coatings16010095

Open AccessArticle

HDA Coating on AISI 1045 Steel with Enhanced Corrosion and Wear Performance

by

Jiajie Wang

^1,†,

Siyu Gu

^2,†,

Heyi Ma

³,

Hongfei Yu

^4,*,

Chuang Yang

¹,

Jiaxiang Zhao

¹ and

Xiaochen Zhang

^1,*

¹

School of Material Science and Engineering, Heilongjiang Institute of Technology, Harbin 150050, China

²

School of Marxism, Dongying Vocational College, Dongying 257091, China

³

Administrative Management, Northeast Agricultural University, Harbin 150030, China

⁴

China Electronic Product Reliability and Environmental Research Institute (CEPREI), Guangzhou 511370, China

^*

Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors contributed equally to this work.

Coatings 2026, 16(1), 95; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16010095

Submission received: 1 December 2025 / Revised: 6 January 2026 / Accepted: 7 January 2026 / Published: 12 January 2026

(This article belongs to the Topic Microstructure and Properties in Metals and Alloys, 4th Edition)

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Abstract

AISI 1045 steel often undergoes premature failure under combined corrosive-wear conditions due to its insufficient surface durability. To address this, a hot-dip aluminum (HDA) coating was deposited on the steel substrate. The microstructure, corrosion behavior, and tribological properties of the coating were systematically characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electrochemical techniques, and tribometry. The results reveal that the coating exhibits a continuous triple-layer structure, consisting of the steel substrate, an intermediate Fe-Al intermetallic compound layer, and an outer aluminum-rich layer. In a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution, the coating formed a protective Al₂O₃ film, demonstrating clear passivation behavior. It significantly enhanced the substrate’s performance, achieving an approximately 90% reduction in wear rate and a substantial increase in charge transfer resistance. The coated sample showed a lower friction coefficient (0.24) compared to the bare substrate (0.34). Herein, this work demonstrates that a straightforward and industrially viable hot-dip aluminizing process can effectively improve the corrosion and wear resistance of medium-carbon steel. The findings provide a practical surface-hardening strategy for such steels operating in aggressive environments.

Keywords: AISI 1045 steel; hot-dip Al coating; microstructure; wear; Tribology; EIS; potentiodynamic polarization

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MDPI and ACS Style

Wang, J.; Gu, S.; Ma, H.; Yu, H.; Yang, C.; Zhao, J.; Zhang, X. HDA Coating on AISI 1045 Steel with Enhanced Corrosion and Wear Performance. Coatings 2026, 16, 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16010095

AMA Style

Wang J, Gu S, Ma H, Yu H, Yang C, Zhao J, Zhang X. HDA Coating on AISI 1045 Steel with Enhanced Corrosion and Wear Performance. Coatings. 2026; 16(1):95. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16010095

Chicago/Turabian Style

Wang, Jiajie, Siyu Gu, Heyi Ma, Hongfei Yu, Chuang Yang, Jiaxiang Zhao, and Xiaochen Zhang. 2026. "HDA Coating on AISI 1045 Steel with Enhanced Corrosion and Wear Performance" Coatings 16, no. 1: 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16010095

APA Style

Wang, J., Gu, S., Ma, H., Yu, H., Yang, C., Zhao, J., & Zhang, X. (2026). HDA Coating on AISI 1045 Steel with Enhanced Corrosion and Wear Performance. Coatings, 16(1), 95. https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16010095

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

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HDA Coating on AISI 1045 Steel with Enhanced Corrosion and Wear Performance

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