The pitting susceptibility of monolithic aluminum 6061 alloy and alumina/aluminum alloy composites has been analyzed by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and subsequent comparison with their polarization scans. The composites consisting of 0.10 and 0.15 volume fraction of alumina particles (VFAP) and the monolith as cylindrical electrodes were rotated at 1500 rpm while immersed in NaCl solution. The passive currents of the composites were greater than that of the monolith as per the polarization scans. The impedance spectra were acquired at constant potential increments along the passive region
up to the pitting potential. The impedance spectra represented by semicircles on a Nyquist plot acquired above the pitting potential collapsed underneath the spectra obtained in the passive region near the corrosion potential for the monolithic alloy and composites. The
impedance spectra modeled with a simplified equivalent circuit indicate that the effective capacitance for the composites is greater than that of the monolithic alloy. Keywords: pitting, localized corrosion, impedance spectroscopy, capacitance