As for every new material, understanding the degradation mechanisms
in a corrosive environment is essential. For this reason two
main questions need to be answered: what is the corrosion mechanism
and how is it influenced by the environmental conditions. Cyclic corrosion
tests [6] showed a superior corrosion resistance of aluminized
press-hardened steel compared to bare steel. However, the results of
one specific test are not sufficient to understand the mechanism of
this improved corrosion resistance and could not easily be generalized
to the prediction of atmospheric corrosion. In this work we try to understand
which corrosion protection mechanisms could be possible for this
material and how their activation can be related to the test conditions