The well-known issue of galvanic corrosion of magnesium alloy based components coupled to more noble materials has been investigated by numerical simulations. Aluminum as a potential joint material is of main interest and was therefore chosen as coupled element. In this context, a fundamental mathematical approach to simulate the corrosion behavior of magnesium galvanically coupled to aluminum, including corrosion layer formation has been developed. The analysis via computer simulations showed the ability to study parameters influencing corrosion performance like the affected surface fraction by a reaction product. Furthermore, the impact of deposit porosity or the pH development will be shown. (C) 2014 The Electrochemical Society. All rights reserved.