Influence of turbulent flow on the corrosion of Al‐Zn‐Mg galvanic anode in artificial seawater media

The effect of hydrodynamics on the corrosion of Al(14 wt%)‐Zn(8 wt%)‐Mg alloy in artificial seawater media at room temperature was studied in a rotating cylinder electrode (RCE) system under turbulent flow conditions. Five different rotation rates were studied: 100, 1000, 3000, 5000, and 7000 rpm. The corrosion rates were measured by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). For the system studied, the steady‐state corrosion potential increased with increase in rotation rate. The effect of increasing the rotation rate is to increase the availability of oxygen at the surface, which in turn will polarize the corrosion reaction in the more noble direction. The corrosion rate also increases with increase in RCE rotation rate. This reflects the fact that the rate of corrosion is controlled, at least in part, by the rate of mass transfer. In this case, the effect of increase in the rotation rate on the corrosion rate is to increase the interfacial concentration of the reactant (oxygen).     

SVET study of the corrosion protection of electrodeposited Zn and Zn‐Co‐Fe alloy coated steels

The scanning vibrating electrode technique (SVET) was applied to study the corrosion resistance of partially coated (Zn and various Zn‐Co‐Fe alloys) and partially exposed steel samples in 10 mM NaCl solution. The sacrificial properties and the protection range decreases with increase in Co content in the alloy. For high Co content in the alloy, the coating becomes more noble to steel and loses its sacrificial protection. The barrier resistance of the coatings increases with the increase in Co content in the alloy coating. Zn‐Co‐Fe alloys with high Co content (i.e., 32 wt% Co and 1 wt% Fe) showed excellent barrier properties due to passivation after dezincification protecting the underlying steel. An intermediate region of compositions can be distinguished in which the coatings provide a good combination of sacrificial and barrier resistance properties and also a reasonable protection range.     

Influence of retrogression and reaging on microstructure,mechanical properties and susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking of an Al‐Zn‐Mg alloy

The aim of the present work was to determine the influence of the retrogression and reaging (RRA) heat treatment on the correlation between microstructure, mechanical properties and susceptibility to stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of the AlZn5Mg1 alloy in dry air and sea water. The alloy received in the T6 temper was subjected to 9 different heat treatments, including retrogression at temperature 453–513 K for 600–3600 s, and reaging at temperature 363 K or 403 K for 16 h, 24 h or 48 h. The susceptibility to SCC was investigated by slow strain rate tensile tests at 10^?6 s^?1 strain rate; change in time to failure, fracture energy and reduction in area were taken into account. Generally, the heat treatment improving mechanical properties increased susceptibility to SCC. The observed effects were discussed in terms of change in microstructure, especially size and distribution of phase precipitates. The role of change in dislocation network was the most likely of no importance.     

Corrosion behaviour of Zn–Al–Mg coated steel sheet in sodium chloride-containing environment

Conventional hot-dip galvanised zinc coated (Z) and novel hot-dip galvanised Zn–Al–Mg alloy coated (ZM) steel sheet samples with a coating thickness of 7 μm each were exposed to standardised salt spray test and cross-sections of the corrosion samples were analysed by using SEM and EDS. On Z corrosion proceeds very fast and the steel substrate is attacked even after 100 h of exposure. ZM samples showed a different behaviour. The entire metallic ZM coating is converted into a stable, adherent aluminium-rich oxide layer, which protects the steel substrate against corrosive attacks. This layer is the main reason for the enhanced corrosion resistance of the ZM coating in sodium chloride-containing environment.     

Effect of preparation method on the anti‐corrosive properties of nanocrystalline Zn–CoO ceramic pigments

Zn–CoO green ceramic pigments were synthesized by two different methods; high energy ball milling and solution combustion, with two different fuels; citric acid and glycine. Products were characterized by X‐ray diffraction and scanning–transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The anti‐corrosive properties of the obtained pigments were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques. Results have shown that either by solid state reaction or combustion by citric acid, a calcination step was needed to obtain the desired phase whereas by glycine fuel, pure ZnO phase was obtained directly. TEM showed particles with mean particle size of about 70, 150, and 180 nm for glycine, citric acid, and solid state reaction samples, respectively. The corrosion performance of the coating in 3% w/v NaCl solution was evaluated by EIS and polarization measurements. According to the measurements of EIS and electrochemical polarization, the coatings with glycine‐based pigment showed the highest corrosion resistance among the prepared coatings.     

Corrosion characteristics of Al‐Si‐Mg/SiCp composites with varying Si/Mg molar ratio in neutral chloride solutions

The corrosion resistance of Al‐Mg‐Si/SiC_p composites produced by the pressureless infiltration method [using SiC_p preforms with 50% porosity containing rice hull ash (RHA) and four custom‐made alloys with varying Si/Mg molar ratio] was evaluated in neutral 0.1 M NaCl solutions. The deleterious phase Al₄C₃ was successfully suppressed in composites with Si/Mg molar ratios of 0.89 and 1.05, but not in those with lower Si/Mg molar ratios (0.12 and 0.49). Results of cyclic polarizations in deareated 0.1 M NaCl solutions showed that with increasing Si/Mg molar ratio, passive current density increased but pitting susceptibility decreased both for reinforced and unreinforced alloys. Immersion tests in aerated 0.1 M NaCl showed that for composites with Si/Mg molar ratios of 0.12 and 0.49 chemical degradation by hydrolysis of Al₄C₃ was followed by intense anodic dissolution at the matrix–reinforcement interface, while composites corresponding to Si/Mg molar ratios of 0.89 and 1.05 did not exhibit intense localized attack. Possible reasons for the improvement in resistance to localized corrosion are discussed.     

Studies on softening of heat-affected zone of pulsed-current GMA welded Al–Zn–Mg alloy

Studies on the softening behavior of the 7005 alloy by means of real welding experiments and heat-affected zone (HAZ) simulation have been conducted. Softening in the HAZ is found to occur above a peak temperature of about 200 °C. It was found that the heat-affected zone of the alloys can be divided into two sub-zones according to their different mechanism of softening: the dissolution zone and the overageing zone. The dissolution zone is characterised by dissolution of precipitates and covers the peak temperature range above 380 °C. The overageing zone is characterised by growth of precipitates and covers the peak temperature range between 230 and 380 °C. The hardness in the heat-affected zone can be recovered by post-weld heat treatment, especially in the dissolution zone. Artificial ageing is more effective than natural ageing considering the recovery of the hardness.     

Mono‐carboxylate conversion coatings for AZ31 Mg alloy protection

Conversion coatings on a magnesium alloy were obtained by dipping AZ31 specimens in aqueous solutions of sodium salts of mono‐carboxylic acids (stearic, palmitic, myristic, lauric, mono‐carboxylate ion concentration from 1 to 5 mM, depending on the salt solubility) for 24 and 72 h at room temperature, or 24 h at 50 °C. The influence exerted by the treatment time, bath temperature and alkyl chain length on the efficiency of these coatings was studied. The performances of the coatings were evaluated by potentiodynamic polarization curve recording after 1 h immersion in 0.05 M Na₂SO₄ solution, while their temporal evolution was monitored by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) spectra during 24 h. Further and long lasting tests were carried out also in 0.1 M NaCl solution. The efficiency of the coatings depended on the aliphatic chain length, and increased as the treatment time and the bath temperature were increased. The coating of lower homologue only hindered the cathodic process, while those of the higher homologues markedly inhibited the anodic process too. The best performances were displayed by 24 h‐50°C stearic conversion coating, which maintained a very high efficiency for over 800 h immersion in 0.05 M sulphate solution.     

Corrosion resistance of environment‐friendly sealing layer for Zn‐coated sintered NdFeB magnet

In this paper, a protective sealed Zn coating (SZC) was prepared on sintered NdFeB magnet by the combination of electrodeposition and sol–gel method. The unsealed Zn coating (UZC) was also studied for a comparison. The surface morphology of UZC and the cross‐section morphology of SZC were investigated using scanning election microscope (SEM). The microstructure of Zn coating and structure of sealing layer were studied by X‐ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FT‐IR) spectrum, respectively. The corrosion characteristics of SZC and UZC in neutral 3.5 wt% NaCl solution were evaluated using electrochemical measurements including open circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization test, indicating that the anticorrosive properties of SZC coated specimens increased 20 times compared with that of UZC coated specimens. In order to further investigate the anticorrosive properties of SZC, a long‐term immersion test was carried out in neutral 3.5 wt% NaCl solution using EIS. The results of long‐term corrosion test showed that the SZC could provide long‐term protection in neutral 3.5 wt% NaCl solution for NdFeB magnet.     

Surface modification of Al–Zn–Mg alloy by combined electrical discharge machining with ball burnish machining

The study investigated the feasibility of modifying the surface of Al–Zn–Mg alloy by a combined process of electric discharge machining (EDM) with ball burnish machining (BBM). A novel process that integrates EDM and BBM is also developed to conduct experiments on an electric discharge machine. Machining parameters of the combined process, including machining polarity, peak current, power supply voltage, and the protruding of ZrO₂, are chosen to determine their effects on material removal rate, surface roughness and the improvement ratio of surface roughness. In addition, the extent to which the combined process affects surface modification is also evaluated by microhardness and corrosion resistance tests. Experimental results indicate that the combined process of EDM with BBM can effectively improve the surface roughness to obtain a fine-finishing and flat surface. The micropores and cracks caused from EDM are eliminated during the process as well. Furthermore, such a process can reinforce and increase the corrosion resistance of the machined surface after machining.     

Characterisation and modelling of precipitate evolution in an Al–Zn–Mg alloy during non-isothermal heat treatments

This paper describes the response of a precipitate microstructure to various types of non-isothermal temperature changes, namely reversion, ramp heating and thermal cycles, met in heat-affected zones (HAZs) of arc-welds, in an Al–Zn–Mg alloy in the T6 and T7 states. During these thermal histories, the precipitate size and volume fraction are quantitatively measured by small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Reversion experiments are characterised by a fast dissolution stage at almost constant average precipitate size, followed by a coarsening stage that affects the surviving precipitates. Ramp heating experiments show a dissolution behaviour, which is temporarily interrupted for low heating rates, either due to phase transition when the initial precipitates are of a metastable nature (the case of T6 initial state), or due to a dynamic competition between the average and critical radii during the temperature increase (the case of the T7 material). The HAZ of arc-welds is characterised by a gradual increase of the dissolved precipitate fraction as one gets closer to the weld line. In the zone immediately before complete dissolution, precipitate coarsening is observed.

A simple model, based on the growth/dissolution of precipitates distributed in size classes, has been adapted to the present ternary alloy. This model, calibrated using the reversion experiments, has proven its predictive nature in all the other thermal cycles investigated (ramp heating and welding). The predictions of the model are used in order to improve the physical insight into the range of material behaviour observed in the experiments.     

Corrosion performance of Zn–Al–Mg coatings in open and confined zones in conditions simulating automotive applications

Panels coated by hot dipping with zinc (HDG), Zn–5Al (Galfan) and Zn–1.5Al–1.5Mg coatings at different thicknesses were phosphated and painted on an industrial line. Crevice panels with non‐painted bare parts modelling conditions in hem flanges, reference panels with open surfaces and formed non‐painted panels were exposed to a cyclic accelerated automotive test. Zn–Al–Mg coatings with the thickness of 10 µm provided similar or even better protection than HDG and Galfan at 20 µm in both confined and open configurations. In comparison to 10‐µm HDG, the Zn–Al–Mg coating delayed red rust appearance in crevices by a factor of 2 and the maximal depth of corrosion in the steel substrate was by 42% lower. Confined areas were more corroded than open surfaces. For HDG, the time to red rust appearance dropped by 50–75%, corrosion attack in steel was from 3.5 to 7 times deeper and mass gain was about 2.3 times higher in crevices than on open surfaces. Corrosion of Zn–Al–Mg may be more affected by local environmental conditions created by the crevice configuration than for HDG. Red rust appearance on formed panels of 20‐µm Galfan, 7‐, 10‐ and 14‐µm Zn–Al–Mg was delayed to 10‐µm HDG by a factor of 2.8, 3.5, 3.8 and >4.5, respectively. No adverse effect of forming was noticed. The results indicate that 2‐ to 3‐fold reduction of the coating thickness for Zn–Al–Mg alloy coatings in comparison to traditional HDG may be possible without compromising the corrosion performance.     

Local electrochemical properties of laser beam‐welded high‐strength Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys

Butt welds of two high‐strength Al–Zn–Mg–Cu alloys with different zinc contents were welded by a laser beam welding technique. Due to the high energy density of the laser beam, the microstructural changes are confined to very thin regions. Electrochemical properties of the weld heat‐affected zones are investigated by local electrochemical measurement techniques and correlated with microhardness measurements, macroscopic corrosion behaviour and metallographic sections. It turned out that microelectrochemical techniques, especially the EC‐pen is a versatile and easy to handle tool for the resolution of changes in the electrochemical properties across a weld bead. It unveils modifications, which cannot be resolved by hardness measurements. By microcell measurements, local corrosion kinetics can be estimated.