The A356 alloy is commonly used in the foundry industry to produce high-stressed automotive
components, such as motor frames and cylinder heads. The aim of this work was to investigate
how the mechanical and tribological properties of this alloy can be improved by applying
an anodizing process. The properties of the oxide layer formed by anodizing using
oxalic acid at low temperatures were characterized by different analytical and tribological
methods. The combination of tribological methods with standard measurement techniques—such
as hardness measurement, layer thickness measurement, as well as the analysis of the
morphological characteristics—was used to track the layer evolution during wear developments.
