The automotive industry envisions that an optimized vehicle in terms of performance and cost can be achieved only by using different materials at different vehicle locations in order to utilize the functionality of the different materials to a full extent. Currently, steel and aluminum are the most important construction materials for the mass production of automotive structure. However, other materials such as magnesium alloys and stainless steel are also used. The use of dissymmetric assemblies of materials in the automotive industry has also led to the development of joining technologies other than spot welding and arc welding such as clinching, adhesive bonding, laser welding, and MIG brazing. However, and despite the development of these new joining technologies, there are still important gaps of knowledge with regards to the corrosion performance of different joint populations using dissymmetric and symmetric materials. Materials commonly used in the automotive industry including steel and aluminum-based susbtrates were assembled with different combinations using various joining techniques in order to evaluate their corrosion performance as well their mechanical properties after cyclic accelerated corrosion tests. The results indicated a relationship between the corrosion inside the confined joint and the decrease of the mechanical properties of the assemblies.
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