Corrosion and corrosion prevention of magnesium alloys

Introduction of high purity alloys improved the corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys significantly. This has led to an increased use of magnesium for components like valve covers, transmission housing, and gear box housing. Because of the unnoble nature of magnesium, galvanic corrosion is the main challenge when magnesium is used in corrosive environment. By proper material selection, proper design and selective use of coatings and insulation materials, the risk for galvanic corrosion is significantly reduced. Test results show that fasteners made of aluminium of the 6000 series reduce galvanic corrosion of magnesium to very low levels in salt spray tests. Combinations of plated steel fasteners and aluminium washers are very efficient for galvanic corrosion prevention. Furthermore, it seems that sealed zinc plating is the best type of plating for steel fasteners. The plating must, however, be free from defects and the bolt head design is an important factor to get a high quality plating.     

Corrosion behavior of magnesium and magnesium alloys

The automotive industry has crossed the threshold from using magnesium alloys in interior applications such as instrument panels and steering wheels to unprotected environment such as oil pan, cylinder head and wheels. The expanding territory of magnesium leads to new challenges.mainly environmental degradation of the alloys used and how they can be protected. The present critical review is aimed at understanding the corrosion behavior of magnesium and magnesium alloys in industrial and marine environments, and the effect of microstructure, additive elements and inhibitors on the corrosion mechanism.     

Influence of testing parameters on the corrosion rate of magnesium alloys

In sodium chloride solutions alloy composition, phases, microstructure and grain size influence the corrosion behaviour of magnesium alloys. Concentration and distribution of the critical impurities iron, nickel and copper affect the corrosion performance strongly. Salt spray tests according to ASTM B 117 or DIN 50021 are used to control quality of magnesium alloys. Results of these tests often estimate alloy subcontractors and are therefore very important to placing. Standards specify test solution, test temperature and position of specimens during test in the salt spray chamber. Standards not prescribe preparation of test specimens, exposure period, handling of the specimens after salt spray test nor the interpretation of the results. Results of salt spray tests can be only compared, provided that test conditions are exactly given. Whether the standards fulfil the above described criteria, will be shown by extensive investigations. Therefore the influence of exposure period, surface condition and microstructure was investigated.     

Corrosion of magnesium and its alloys

Any detailed study of the corrosion of magnesium and its alloys in aqueous environment, must consider the three important aspects: galvanic corrosion reaction between magnesium and another metal, microgalvanic corrosion reaction between magnesium and the secondary phases or impurity grains, and the negative difference effect (NDE). In this paper, we propose a mathematical model to describe microgalvanic corrosion. We also discuss the NDE based on Tafel type kinetics and explain the NDE behavior in a consistent manner.     

Mg合金的腐蚀与防护

介绍了Mg合金的腐蚀原理、腐蚀类型以及合金元素在镁合金中的作用。综述了Mg合金的化学转化膜、阳极氧化、微弧氧化、化学镀等经典的表面处理方法 ,以及快速凝固工艺和表面改性技术对Mg合金表面耐蚀性能的影响。Mg合金易发生全面腐蚀、电偶腐蚀、点蚀、应力腐蚀和高温氧化。解决Mg合金腐蚀的方法有 :一是研究新合金 ,提高Mg合金自身的热力学稳定性 ,稀土Mg合金是最有前途的耐蚀合金 ;二是通过表面处理使Mg合金表面富SiO2 和Al2 O3 、含SiC和F-等物质或获得的非晶态的涂层结构能有效地提高Mg合金的耐蚀耐磨性能 ;三是改进加工工艺 ,快速凝固和激光退火不仅能获得力学性能优秀的Mg合金产品 ,还能获得纳米结构的表面涂层防护膜 ,提高Mg合金的耐蚀耐磨性能。使镁合金表面涂层结构纳米化、玻璃化是表面处理工艺的发展趋势。     

Corrosion behaviour of stressed magnesium alloys

Potentiodynamic polarisation and impedance measurements are used to examine the corrosion aspects of some Mg-based alloys, which were previously stressed in order to established the effect of mechanical deformation on surface electrochemical reactions. A first approach was made for the unstressed alloys. The electrochemical tests were carried out in a sodium borate buffer solution.     

Phase composition and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys

The effects of phase composition of castable experimental and commercial alloys based on the Mg-Al, Mg-Al-Mn, Mg-Al-Zn-Mn, and Mg-Zn-Zr systems and of the form of existence of iron and hydrogen admixtures on the rate of corrosion of the alloys in 3% solution of NaCl are studied. The roles of heat treatment in the processes of hydrogen charging and phase formation in alloy ML5pch and of hydrogen in the process of formation of zirconium hydrides and zinc zirconides in alloys of the Mg-Zn-Zr system and their effect on the corrosion and mechanical properties of alloy ML12 are discussed.     

The corrosion performance of anodised magnesium alloys

The corrosion performance of anodised magnesium and its alloys, such as commercial purity magnesium (CP-Mg) and high-purity magnesium (HP-Mg) ingots, magnesium alloy ingots of MEZ, ZE41, AM60 and AZ91D and diecast AM60 (AM60-DC) and AZ91D (AZ91D-DC) plates, was evaluated by salt spray and salt immersion testing. The corrosion resistance was in the sequential order: AZ91D ≈ AM60 ≈ MEZ ? AZ91D-DC ? AM60-DC > HP-Mg > ZE41 > CP-Mg. It was concluded the corrosion resistance of an anodised magnesium alloy was determined by the corrosion performance of the substrate alloy due to the porous coating formed on the substrate alloy acting as a simple corrosion barrier.     

Exfoliation corrosion testing of aluminium alloys

Abstract

The exfoliation corrosion behaviour of sheet and plate materials of various conventional aluminium and Al–Li alloys has been evaluated using accelerated tests. Results are .compared with atmospheric exposure data published in the literature to assess the applicability of the testing techniques employed. For damage tolerant Al–Li based sheet and plate, the cyclic acidified salt fog (Mastmaasis) test according to ASTM G85, Annex A2 indicated susceptibility to exfoliation corrosion, reproducing the limited outdoor corrosion data for the Al–Li alloys 8090–T81 and 2091–T84 as well as marine exposure results reported for the conventional alloys 2024–T351 and 7075–T7351. Therefore, it appears to be a promising testing technique for predicting the service performance of high strength aluminium alloys. Compared with the ratings determined following the cyclic acidified saltfog tests, the standard Exco test according to ASTM G34 indicated better exfoliation corrosion behaviour of the alloys investigated, except for 8090–T6 sheet and 7075–T7351 plate, which exhibited severe and mild exfoliation respectively. In the modified Exco test suggested by Lee and Lifka, 7075–T7351 panels were susceptible to pitting, whereas the other alloys studied generally suffered more severe exfoliation than in the standard Exco test.     

Review of studies on corrosion of magnesium alloys

This review provided some recent progress of the research on corrosion mechanisms of magnesium and its alloys and a basis for follow-on research. Galvanic corrosion, pitting corrosion, intergranular corrosion （IGC）, filiform corrosion, crevice corrosion, stress corrosion cracking （SCC）, and corrosion fatigue （CF） were discussed. The influence of metallurgical factors such as alloying elements, microstructure and secondary phases, processing factors such as heat treatment and weld, and environmental factors including temperature, relative humidity, solution pH values and concentration on corrosion were discussed. In particular, a mechanism of pitting corrosion caused by AlMn particles was proposed. The corrosion properties of AZ91D weld material were investigated.     

Corrosion performance of magnesium alloys MEZ and AZ91

The corrosion performance of sand cast MEZ_S, zirconium-grain-refined MEZ_R, sand cast AZ91_S, and high pressure diecast AZ91_D magnesium alloys were evaluated by means of salt spray testing, optical metallography, hydrogen evolution, polarisation curve measurement and AC impedance spectroscopy. The results show that the corrosion resistance of the four alloys can be ranked in decreasing order as AZ91_D > AZ91_S ≈ MEZ_R > MEZ_S and that the intergranular phases and chemical composition of the matrix phase have a significant influence on the corrosion performance. Alloys with a finer grain size and higher aluminum or zirconium contents exhibit better corrosion resistance.     

Corrosion of magnesium alloys in commercial engine coolants

A number of magnesium alloys show promise as engine block materials. However, a critical issue for the automotive industry is corrosion of the engine block by the coolant and this could limit the use of magnesium engine blocks. This work assesses the corrosion performance of conventional magnesium alloy AZ91D and a recently developed engine block magnesium alloy AM‐SC1 in several commercial coolants. Immersion testing, hydrogen evolution measurement, galvanic current monitoring and the standard ASTM D1384 test were employed to reveal the corrosion performance of the magnesium alloys subjected to the coolants. The results show that the tested commercial coolants are corrosive to the magnesium alloys in terms of general and galvanic corrosion. The two magnesium alloys exhibited slightly different corrosion resistance to the coolants with AZ91D being more corrosion resistant than AM‐SC1. The corrosivity varied from coolant to coolant. Generally speaking, an organic‐acid based long life coolant was less corrosive to the magnesium alloys than a traditional coolant. Among the studied commercial coolants, Toyota long life coolant appeared to be the most promising one. In addition, it was found that potassium fluoride effectively inhibited corrosion of the magnesium alloys in the studied commercial coolants. Both general and galvanic corrosion rates were significantly decreased by addition of KF, and there were no evident side effects on the other engine block materials, such as copper, solder, brass, steel and aluminium alloys, in terms of their corrosion performance. The ASTM D 1384 test further confirmed these results and suggested that Toyota long life coolant with 1%wt KF addition is a promising coolant for magnesium engine blocks.     

镁合金大气电偶腐蚀初期规律

研究了AZ91D、AM50、AM60铸造镁合金与A3钢、316L不锈钢、H62黄铜、LY12铝合金组成的电偶对分别在青岛和武汉现场暴晒3个月和6个月后的大气电偶腐蚀行为及规律.结果显示, 镁合金始终是电偶对的阳极; 当其与其它4种材料偶接时, 其腐蚀速率增加.镁合金与A3钢偶合后, 其大气电偶腐蚀效应最大, 而与LY12铝合金组成的电偶对的大气电偶腐蚀效应最小.不同镁合金的大气电偶腐蚀效应存在如下关系: γAZ91D>γAM50>γAM60.暴晒3个月后, 青岛的大气电偶腐蚀效应明显高于武汉的大气电偶腐蚀效应.随着暴晒时间的延长, 青岛和武汉的大气电偶腐蚀效应分别呈降低和升高的趋势.     

New engine coolant for corrosion protection of magnesium alloys

The global trend toward decreasing of atmospheric pollution, by saving fuel consumption in vehicles, has led to extensive interest of using lightweight metals such as magnesium alloys, in engine and cooling system components. The modern coolant is not intended to prevent corrosion of magnesium alloy in the engine cooling systems. We have developed a new coolant that aims to protect Mg alloy parts together with all other commonly used metals. Several inhibitor formulations were tested, according to glassware test (ASTM D1384) and heat transfer conditions (ASTM D4340). Mg alloys EZ33 and WE43 were added to the standard sets of metals and the corrosivity of different types of formulations was determined by weight loss measurements. The new anticorrosive coolant showed high performance in all tested metals including magnesium alloys and it satisfied the requirements (ASTM D3306). Cyclic potentiodynamic polarization curves have been used to study electrochemical corrosion behavior of the magnesium alloys EZ33 and WE43 in aqueous solution containing the inhibitors and ethylene glycol (33 vol%‐EG prepared with corrosive water according to ASTM D1384) and compared to a reference coolant with no inhibitor. It was found that a passive film was created upon the Mg alloys, which exhibited high corrosion resistance against pitting.     

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...     

汽车用AZ91镁合金的耐腐蚀性能

以AZ91镁合金为研究对象,研究了NaCl溶液的浓度、腐蚀时间、温度和搅拌速度对AZ91镁合金耐腐蚀性的影响。利用扫描电镜观察了腐蚀后的表面形貌和横截面形貌,定性分析了AZ91镁合金在NaCl溶液中的腐蚀行为。结果表明,随NaCl溶液浓度、腐蚀时间、温度和搅拌速度增加,AZ91镁合金腐蚀速率主要呈递增趋势,且腐蚀形式为沿晶腐蚀。     

General and localized corrosion of magnesium alloys: A critical review

Magnesium (Mg) alloys as well as experimental alloys are emerging as light structural materials for current, new, and innovative applications. This paper describes the influence of the alloying elements and the different casting processes on the microstructure and performance of these alloys and corrosion. It gives a comprehensible approach for the resistance of these alloys to general, localized and metallurgically influenced corrosion, which are the main challenges for their use. Exposure to humid air with ∼65% relative humidity during 4 days gives 100–150 nm thickness. The film is amorphous and has an oxidation rate less than 0.01 μm/y. The pH values between 8.5 and 11.5 correspond to a relatively protective oxide or hydroxide film; however above 11.5 a passive stable layer is observed. The poor corrosion resistance of many Mg alloys can be due to the internal galvanic corrosion caused by second phases or impurities. Agitation or any other means of destroying or preventing the formation of a protective film leads to increasing corrosion kinetics. The pH changes during pitting corrosion can come from two different reduction reactions: reduction of dissolved oxygen (O) and that of hydrogen (H) ions. Filiform corrosion was observed in the uncoated AZ31, while general corrosion mainly occurred in some deposition coated alloys. Crevice corrosion can probably be initiated due to the hydrolysis reaction. Exfoliation can be considered as a type of intergranular attack, and this is observed in unalloyed Mg above a critical chloride concentration.