Microstructural and Corrosion Characteristics of Al-Zn-In Sacrificial Anode Fabricated by Cooling Slope Casting Through Response Surface Methodology: A Modeling Study

In this study, a semi-solid cast Al-Zn-In anode conditions were designed using the response surface methodology, and after modeling, the evaluation of pouring temperature, slope angle, and length of the inclined plane on grain size, sphericity, and corrosion rate of the samples was performed using ANOVA analysis. The microstructure of the samples was examined after casting and fabrication on the basis of the proposed model, and the grain size and sphericity were determined using image analysis, and the corrosion rate of the specimens was measured using potentiodynamic polarization analysis. After entering the model’s required data, the simulation and the effect of casting parameters on the responses were investigated, and the optimal cooling slope casting condition was determined. Finally, in order to ascertain the prediction accuracy, electrochemical tests were performed on the optimal sample. According to the results, the pouring temperature is the most important and effective parameter, followed by the length of the inclined plane in terms of significance and impact on model response. The model determined that a temperature of 671.49 °C, a slope surface angle of 59.61 degrees, and a length of 500 mm were the best conditions for cooling slope casting factors.