High temperature oxidation of AZ31 + 0.3 wt.%Ca and AZ31 + 0.3 wt.%CaO magnesium alloys

Magnesium alloys of AZ31 + 0.3 wt.%Ca and AZ31 + 0.3 wt.%CaO were cast and oxidized between 450 and 650 °C in atmospheric air. The initially added Ca and CaO enabled to cast the alloys in air without using environmentally hazardous SF₆ gas, by forming a thin CaO-rich barrier layer at the surface during casting. A thin CaO-rich barrier layer was also formed at the surface during oxidation in air, thereby increasing the oxidation resistance of the AZ31 alloy considerably. The initially added Ca and CaO reacted with Al to become Al₂Ca along the grain boundaries of the AZ31 alloy during casting.     

Corrosion stress relaxation and tensile strength effects in an extruded AZ31 magnesium alloy

The corrosion effects on the tensile and stress relaxation behavior of an extruded AZ31 magnesium alloy subjected to immersion and salt-spray environments have been investigated. Specimens were simultaneously corroded and stress relaxed in a 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution and then put under a tensile test to failure to determine the stress–strain response over a 60 h test matrix. The AZ31 magnesium alloy shows an evident relaxation in 3.5 wt.% NaCl at room temperature. According to optical and scanning electron microscopy investigations, the fracture surfaces for the immersion environment show a high sensitivity to stress corrosion cracking.     

Corrosion and mechanical properties of hot-extruded AZ31 magnesium alloys

AZ31 magnesium alloys were hot-extruded at 573 K and 623 K with extrusion ratio(λ) of 20,35 and 50.The corrosion and mechanical behavior of hot-extruded AZ31 were studied by galvanic tests and tensile tests.The microstructures of the studied AZ31 alloys were also investigated with optical microscope.The results show that,compared with the as-cast AZ31 alloy,the corrosion potentials of all hot-extruded AZ31 alloys are increased by 60 mV.Moreover,at the extrusion temperature of 623 K,the galvanic current o...     

Transmission electron microscopy and thermodynamic studies of CaO-added AZ31 Mg alloys

We investigated the microstructural evolution of Mg–3Al–1Zn (AZ31) alloy systems, with Ca or CaO added, by carrying out microstructural characterizations in conjunction with thermodynamic calculations. A calculated phase diagram of the Mg–Ca–O ternary system showed that CaO can be dissolved in liquid Mg so as to have 12.6 wt.% Ca content in the liquid Mg at 700 °C. Therefore, for a 0.3 wt.% CaO-added AZ31 alloy, our thermodynamic calculation predicted a similar precipitation pathway to that of a 0.3 wt.% Ca-added AZ31 alloy during the solidification process. In fact, a thermodynamic analysis of the precipitation pathway assuming the Scheil model showed that the major precipitates in both alloys were Al₈Mn₅, CaMgSi, Laves C15 and Laves C36, in good agreement with our experimental observation. However, a microstructural characterization of the as-cast alloys using transmission electron microscopy revealed that the spatial distribution of the precipitates was significantly different in the two alloy systems; unlike in the Ca-added AZ31 alloy, the Ca-containing precipitates in the CaO-added AZ31 alloy exhibited strong agglomeration tendencies. Moreover, in an alloy solidified at a faster cooling rate, undissolved CaO particles were observed in the precipitate agglomerates that were connected to the other Ca-containing precipitates. These results suggest that an incomplete dissolution of CaO particles in the liquid results in the agglomeration of precipitates, as the undissolved CaO particles can act as local sources, supplying Ca to the liquid, and can thus act as preferential nucleation sites for the Ca-containing precipitates forming during the solidification of the alloy.     

The effect of NaHCO3 treatment time on the corrosion resistance of commercial magnesium alloys AZ31 and AZ61 in 0.6 M NaCl solution

This paper studies the chemical composition and structure of the conversion coatings formed during immersion on saturated aqueous NaHCO₃ solution treatment on the surface of as-received commercial AZ31 and AZ61 magnesium alloys with a view to a better understanding of their protective properties. The great uniformity and the significant increase in the amount of aluminium oxides and hydroxides observed on the surface of the conversion coating of the AZ61 alloy after 10 or 60 min of treatment (about 30% higher Al atomic contents) seems to improve the corrosion resistance.     

Corrosion resistance of WE43 and AZ91D magnesium alloys with phosphate PEO coatings

The corrosion performance of WE43-T6 and AZ91D magnesium alloys with and without treatment by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) was investigated by electrochemical measurements in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. For untreated WE43-T6 alloy, formation of a uniform corrosion layer (Mg(OH)₂) was accompanied by initial pits around magnesium-rare earth intermetallic compounds. The AZ91D alloy disclosed increased corrosion susceptibility, with localized corrosion around the β-phase, though the β-phase network phase acted as a barrier for corrosion progression. PEO treatment in alkaline phosphate electrolyte improved the corrosion resistance of WE43-T6 alloy only at the initial stages of immersion in the test solution. However, PEO-treated AZ91D alloy revealed a relatively high corrosion resistance for much increased immersion times, contrary to the relative corrosion resistances of the untreated alloys. The improved performance of the PEO-treated AZ91D alloy appears to be related to the formation of a more compact coating.     

Stress corrosion cracking of a recent rare-earth containing magnesium alloy,EV31A,and a common Al-containing alloy,AZ91E

Stress corrosion cracking of the magnesium alloy Elektron 21 (ASTM–EV31A) and AZ91E was studied using constant load test in 0.1 M NaCl solution (saturated with Mg(OH)₂), and slow strain rate test using glycerol, distilled water and Mg(OH)₂ saturated, 0.01 M and 0.1 M NaCl solutions. Slow strain rate test indicated that EV31A was less susceptible to stress corrosion cracking than AZ91E. Under less intense loading of constant load, EV31A was found to be resistant to stress corrosion cracking. Fractography of EV31A specimens showed little evidence of hydrogen embrittlement. The superior resistance of EV31A is attributed to a more robust oxide/hydroxide layer.     

Combined effect of composition and surface condition on corrosion behaviour of magnesium alloys AZ31 and AZ61

The work is an attempt to learn more about the role of several experimental variables in the corrosion of magnesium alloys in immersion tests carried out in 0.6 M NaCl. The effect of as-received and polished surface conditions, geometrical characteristics of the exposed area and different aluminium contents in the magnesium based alloys is considered. Results indicated that polished surfaces and AZ61 surfaces tend to develop corrosion slower than the respective as-received and AZ31 surfaces; these tendencies can change by prolonging exposure time. Filiform and localised corrosion are influenced by the presence of cut surfaces and small exposed areas, respectively.     

XRD studies of electrochemically hydrided–dehydrided thin films of the alloy AZ31 and AZ31 with Ti

A magnetron sputtered thin films of the AZ31 alloy and AZ31 alloy with Ti capped with Pd were electrochemically hydrogenated and dehydrogenated in a 3 M KOH solution. A phase composition and structure of the films were studied by XRD. It has been determined that the behaviour of magnetron sputtered alloy AZ31 during electrochemical charging with hydrogen was alike that of pure Mg. The shift of the XRD peak Mg (0 0 0 2) to lower angles indicates that a hydrogen solid solution in the AZ31 alloy was formed along with MgH₂. When the AZ31 alloy with 18 at.% of Ti was electrochemically hydrogenated the whole film was transformed into hydride. The minor part of the hydride was in the nanocrystalline state with a structure of rutile and a major part of the hydride was in the amorphous state. After dehydrogenation only a part of the alloy recovered and the rest remained in the state of amorphous hydride. A positive shift of peak Pd (1 1 1) was observed in all of the XRD patterns for hydrogenated films. At least partially the shift should be associated with the compressive stresses in the top-cap layer of Pd, which arose due to the hydrogenation of the AZ31 alloy.     

Quantification of corrosion mechanisms under immersion and salt-spray environments on an extruded AZ31 magnesium alloy

The corrosion mechanisms of pitting, intergranular, and general corrosion were examined on an extruded AZ31 magnesium alloy subjected to immersion and salt-spray environments. The three mechanisms were quantified using optical microscopy and laser profilometry for over 60 h of testing. Although both environments showed similar trends, the immersion environment was more deleterious with respect to intergranular and general corrosion. On the other hand, the salt-spray environment did allow deeper pits to form throughout the entirety of the experiments, which then led to a substantial thickness drop (general corrosion) compared with the immersion environment.     

Atmospheric corrosion of field-exposed AZ31 magnesium in a tropical marine environment

Corrosion behavior of AZ31 magnesium in tropical marine atmosphere was investigated. Chloride ions deposition rate played an important role in the corrosion process, which resulted in an obvious fluctuation of the corrosion rate. The corrosion was initiated from pitting corrosion and then evolved into general corrosion as the exposure time extended. Mg₅(CO₃)₄(OH)₂·xH₂O was the dominate products during the whole exposure periods. The products on the specimens weathered for 1, 6 and 12 months slightly suppressed the corrosion process, while that generated after 24 months of exposure exhibited good protective ability against further corrosion attacks.     

Correlation between the corrosion resistance and the semiconducting properties of the oxide film formed on AZ91D alloy after solution treatment

The corrosion resistance and semiconducting properties of the oxide film formed on the AZ91D alloy were evaluated. The alloy was tested in the as-cast condition and after a solution annealing treatment. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements and potentiodynamic polarization curves were obtained in a H₃BO₃ (0.05 M) + Na₂B₄O₇⋅10H₂O (0.075 M) solution with pH = 9.2 at room temperature. The semiconducting properties of the oxide film were evaluated using Mott–Schottky plots. The corrosion resistance of the AZ91D was reduced after the solution treatment while the semiconducting properties of the passive films were little affected.     

Comparative study of the deformation behavior of hexagonal magnesium–lithium alloys and a conventional magnesium AZ31 alloy

Specimens of a conventional magnesium AZ31 alloy and a binary α-solid solution Mg4Li alloy with similar starting textures and microstructure were subjected to plane strain deformation under various deformation temperatures ranging from 298 K to 673 K. Lithium addition to magnesium exhibited remarkable room temperature ductility improvement owing to enhanced activity of non-basal slip, particularly, 〈c + a〉-slip mode. Furthermore, the addition of lithium to magnesium seemed to reduce the plastic anisotropy, typical for commercial magnesium alloys. This was evident in the flow curves and texture development obtained at 200 °C and 400 °C. At 400 °C prismatic slip gains strong influence in accommodating the imposed deformation. In terms of thermal stability against microstructure coarsening at elevated temperatures, the lithium containing alloy undergoes significant grain growth following recrystallization.     

Effect of Nd on the corrosion behaviour of AM50 and AZ91D magnesium alloys in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution

The corrosion performance of AM50 and AZ91D alloys containing up to 1.5 wt.% Nd was investigated by electrochemical and gravimetric measurements in 3.5 wt.% NaCl at 22 °C. The alloys were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and surface potential maps. In Nd-containing alloys, formation of Al₂Nd and Al–Mn–Nd intermetallic compounds reduced the volume fraction and modified the morphology of the β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase. The addition of Nd improved the corrosion resistance of the alloys due to increased passivity of the surface film and suppression of micro-galvanic couples.     

The ignition temperature of Mg alloys WE43, AZ31 and AZ91

A simple furnace test explored ignition of three Mg alloys. WE43 had the highest ignition temperature (644 °C) compared with 628 °C for AZ31 and 600 °C for AZ91. Tests to measure the ignition temperature appear to be highly controlled. However, this appearance is deceptive because the ignition temperature depends on test details. Flame tests appear to be able to allow direct study of the behaviour in a flame and so appear to be a good approach to study the behaviour Mg alloys in an aircraft fire accident.     

2-Hydroxy-4-methoxy-acetophenone as an environment-friendly corrosion inhibitor for AZ91D magnesium alloy

The inhibition behavior of 2-hydroxy-4-methoxy-acetophenone (paeonol) as an environment-friendly corrosion inhibitor for AZ91D magnesium alloy was investigated in 0.05 wt.% NaCl solution by means of polarization curve, AC impedance, weight loss measurement, scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transformation infrared spectroscopy, ultraviolet analysis, and computer molecular simulation. The results show that paeonol can inhibit the corrosion of AZ91D. The maximum inhibition efficiency is achieved when paeonol concentration is 50 ppm by weight in this study. It is proposed that paeonol chelates with Mg to form a paeonol-Mg complex mixing with the original Mg(OH)₂ film on the surface to inhibit the anodic dissolution of AZ91D.     

Mechanical anisotropy and deep drawing behaviour of AZ31 and ZE10 magnesium alloy sheets

The influence of the initial microstructure on the deep drawability and the associated microstructural evolution in two different magnesium alloy sheets, AZ31 and ZE10, has been examined. Tensile testing at room temperature shows that the AZ31 sheet has high plastic strain ratios, r = 2–3, which are caused by strong basal-type texture. The ZE10 sheet shows lower r values, r ～ 1, as a result of its weak texture. Deep drawing experiments carried out over the temperature range 100–300 °C revealed that the ZE10 sheet can be successfully deep-drawn at lower temperatures than the AZ31 sheet. The ZE10 cups show earing despite the weak texture and low normal anisotropy, while earing of the AZ31 cups is negligible. In the ZE10 cups, deformation is accommodated mainly by 〈a〉 slips and by compression as well as secondary twinning. The occurrence of dynamic recrystallization is observed in successfully deep-drawn AZ31 cups.     

Characterization of corrosion products formed on Ni 2.4 wt%–Cu 0.5 wt%–Cr 0.5 wt% weathering steel exposed in marine atmospheres

Weathering steel manufactured with high concentrations of copper (0.5 wt%), chromium (0.5 wt%) and nickel (2.4 wt%) was studied with the aim of furthering knowledge on corrosion product characterization and performance in marine environments. Specimens exposed for two years in a rural atmosphere and two marine environments were characterized by optical microscopy, SEM/EDS, XRD and Raman spectroscopy and corrosion rates measured. The main phases found were ferrihydrite, maghemite and goethite in the inner corrosion layer, and lepidocrocite in the outer layer. Cu and Ni were homogeneously distributed while Cr tended to be concentrated in the inner layer.     

The multi-scale microstructure and strengthening mechanisms of Mo-12Si-8.5BxZr (at.%) alloys

Mo-12Si-8.5B alloys with different Zr contents (0 at.%, 1 at.%, 2 at.%, 3 at.%, 4 at.%) were manufactured via a mechanical alloying process followed by hot pressing sintering technology. The microstructure of Mo-12Si-8.5B alloy exhibited a continuous submicro- and micro-scale α-Mo matrix in which the sub-micron Mo₃Si/Mo₅SiB₂ particles were distributed. Addition of Zr to Mo-12Si-8.5B alloy promoted to form spherical nano-scale intermetallic Mo₂Zr and ZrO₂ particles, which were mainly located at the grain boundaries (GBs) as well as partially within the grains. The microstructure of Mo-12Si-8.5B-xZr alloys was remarkably refined by these Mo₂Zr/ZrO₂ nanoparticles. Additionally, results of mechanical properties indicated that the Zr addition improved the hardness, compression strength, yield strength and flexure strength of alloys. In particular, the Mo-12Si-8.5B-2Zr alloy exhibited extremely high compression strength (3.38 GPa), yield strength (3.17 GPa) and flexure strength (1.15 GPa). Quantitative analyses indicate that both fine-grained strengthening and Zr-rich particle strengthening mechanisms play a significant role in strengthening the Mo-Si-B-Zr alloys, the strengthening is dominantly governed by grain size reduction. Furthermore, Zr getters detrimental oxygen by synthesizing ZrO₂ distributed at grain/phase boundaries, which contributes to increasing the GBs cohesion. Fracture surfaces revealed that the fracture mode transformed from intergranular to transgranular fracture owing to Zr addition.     

Corrosion behaviour of Al–29at%Co alloy in aqueous NaCl

Microstructure and corrosion behaviour of a binary Al–29 at%Co alloy have been studied. The alloy was prepared by arc-melting of Al and Co in high purity Ar and rapidly solidified on a water-cooled Cu mould. The alloy chemical composition and microstructure were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. Furthermore, the corrosion behaviour was studied by potentiodynamic polarization in aqueous NaCl (0.6 mol dm⁻³) at room temperature. The alloy was found to consist of three phases: hexagonal Al₅Co₂, Z-phase and AlCo (β). The corrosion resistance of different intermetallic phases is characterized. The results are compared to previously published results of Al–TM (TM = transition metal) alloys.