Galvanic corrosion of magnesium alloy AZ91D in contact with an aluminium alloy, steel and zinc

An investigation was carried out into the galvanic corrosion of magnesium alloy AZ91D in contact with zinc, aluminium alloy A380 and 4150 steel. Specially designed test panels were used to measure galvanic currents under salt spray conditions. It was found that the distributions of the galvanic current densities on AZ91D and on the cathodes were different. An insulating spacer between the AZ91D anode and the cathodes could not eliminate galvanic corrosion. Steel was the worst cathode and aluminium the least aggressive to AZ91D. Corrosion products from the anode and cathodes appeared to be able to affect the galvanic corrosion process through an alkalisation, passivation, poisoning effect or shortcut effect. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Corrosion behaviour of magnesium in ethylene glycol

Corrosion of magnesium engine components by coolant is an important issue in the automotive industry where magnesium alloys may be used. It is of significance to understand the corrosion behaviour of pure magnesium in ethylene glycol solutions, as this can provide a basis for developing new coolants for magnesium alloy engine blocks. In this paper, through corrosion and electrochemical tests, it was found that the corrosion rate of magnesium decreased with increasing concentration of ethylene glycol. Individual contaminants, such as NaCl, NaHCO3, Na2SO4 and NaCl can make aqueous ethylene glycol solution more corrosive to magnesium. However, in NaCl contaminated ethylene glycol, NaHCO3 and Na2SO4 showed some inhibition effect. The solution resistivity played an important role in the corrosion of magnesium in ethylene glycol solutions, and the competitive adsorption of ethylene glycol and the contaminants on the magnesium surface was also responsible for the observed corrosion behaviours. The corrosion of magnesium in ethylene glycol can be effectively inhibited by addition of fluorides that react with magnesium and form a protective film on the surface. (C) 2003 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Corrosion behaviour of a pressure die cast magnesium alloy

High pressure die casting is the most important production method for casting magnesium alloy components, and uniformity of appearance is an important criterion for acceptance of a component by customers. This paper investigates the influence of uniformity in surface appearance of diecast AZ91D plates on their corrosion behaviour. Through immersion, hydrogen collection and weight loss measurements it was found that corrosion is more likely to occur on the areas of the plate that appear to be darker, leading to a non-uniformly corroded surface. Microstructural analysis showed that the non-uniformity in appearance is related to a difference in the morphology and distribution of porosity across the surface of a diecast AZ91D plate. The darker areas of the surface are high in porosity which breaks the continuity of the beta-phase network and provides shortcut paths for corrosion from the surface to the interior of the casting. The brighter shiny areas of the surface are much less porous, with isolated pores being confined by corrosion resistant beta-precipitates thus reducing the corrosion rate.

Influence of the beta phase on the corrosion performance of anodised coatings on magnesium-aluminium alloys

The effect of the beta phase in Mg-Al alloys on the corrosion performance of an anodised coating was studied. It was found that the corrosion resistance of the anodised coating was closely associated with the corrosion performance of the substrate alloy. In particular, Mg alloys with a dual phase microstructure of alpha + beta with intermediate aluminium contents (namely 5%, 10% and 22% Al) after anodisation had the highest corrosion rate and the worst corrosion resistance provide by the anodised coating. The poor performance of an anodised coating was attributed partly to lower corrosion resistance of the substrate alloy and partly to the higher porosity of the anodised coating. (c) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A critical review of the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) of magnesium alloys

This review aims to provide a foundation for the safe and effective use of magnesium (Mg) alloys, including practical guidelines for the service use of Mg alloys in the atmosphere and/or in contact with aqueous solutions. This is to provide support for the rapidly increasing use of Mg in industrial applications, particularly in the automobile industry. These guidelines should be firmly based on a critical analysis of our knowledge of SCC based on (1) service experience, (2) laboratory testing and (3) understanding of the mechanism of SCC, as well as based on an understanding of the Mg corrosion mechanism.

Simulation of galvanic corrosion of magnesium coupled to a steel fastener in NaCl solution

The galvanic corrosion of magnesium alloy AZ91D coupled to a steel fastener was studied using a boundary element method (BEM) model and experimental measurements. The BEM model used the measured polarization curves as boundary conditions. The experimental program involved measuring the total corrosion rate as a function of distance from the interface of the magnesium in the form of a sheet containing a mild steel circular insert (5 to 30 mm in diameter). The measured total corrosion rate was interpreted as due to galvanic corrosion plus self corrosion. For a typical case, the self corrosion was estimated typically to be similar to 230 mm/y for an area surrounding the interface and to a distance of about I cm from the interface. Scanning Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (SKPFM) revealed microgalvanic cells with potential differences of approximately 100 mV across the AZ91D surface. These microgalvanic cells may influence the relative contributions of galvanic and self corrosion to the total corrosion of AZ91D.

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 oraganic-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.

The Corrosion Performance of Magnesium Alloy AM-SC1 in Automotive Engine Block Applications

The magnesium alloy AM-SC1 has been developed as a creep-resistant automotive engine block material. This paper outlines its corrosion performance under laboratory test conditions, considering corrosion on both the external and internal surfaces. This study found that AM-SC1 has a corrosion performance comparable to AZ91 when subjected to an aggressive salt-spray environment or in galvanic-coupling environments. This article further demonstrates that, with the appropriate selection of a commercially available engine coolant, the internal corrosion of AM-SC1 can be maintained at a tolerable level. In addition, internal corrosion resistance can be significantly improved by the addition of fluorides to the coolant solution. It is concluded that AM-SC1 can be successfully used in an engine environment provided that some simple corrosion-prevention strategies are adopted.

Influence of anodising current on the corrosion resistance of anodised AZ91D magnesium alloy

The thickness, chemical composition and microstructure of anodised coatings formed on magnesium alloy AZ91D at various anodising current densities were measured. It was found that all these parameters could be affected by anodising current density, and hence the coatings formed at different anodising current densities had different corrosion resistances. This suggests that the corrosion performance of an anodised coating could be improved if a properly designed current waveform is used for anodising. In addition, based on the experimental results, some physical, chemical and electrochemical reactions involved in the anodising process were proposed to explain the anodising behaviour in this paper. (c) 2005 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Anodizing treatments for magnesium alloys and their effecton corrosion resistance in various environments

This paper reviews various aspects of anodizing of magnesium alloys, such as the basics, processes, properties and applications. It systematically summarises the existing fundamental studies and technical developments of anodizing of magnesium alloys, and concludes that new anodizing processes based on electrolytic plasma anodizing that convert the surface of a magnesium alloy into a hard ceramic coating in an electrolytic bath using high energy electric discharges can offer improved wear and corrosion resistance. These new anodized coatings are often claimed to perform better than the traditional ones obtained through older anodizing processes, such as DOW17 or HAE. The new anodizing techniques are chromate free and hence environment friendly. It is expected that more cost-effective, environment-friendly and non-toxic anodizing techniques will be developed and applied to magnesium alloy components in the future.

Corrosion behaviour of pure magnesium in a simulated body fluid

The corrosion behaviour of pure magnesium in Hank's simulated body fluid (SBF) was investigated. It was found that the polarization of Mg in the SBF solution was similar to that in a NaCl aqueous solution. However, AC impedance analysis suggested that the detailed dissolution steps involved in the corrosion of Mg in the SBF could be different in terms of their rates or contributions to corrosion damage of Mg. Moreover, the corrosion rate of Mg in the SBF solution was found to be increasing with time and significant hydrogen evolution and alkalization of the SBF solution resulting from corrosion of Mg were measured in the study. The results suggested that after some proper measures are taken to retard corrosion reaction, Mg can be successfully employed as a degradable and absorbable implant material.

Stress corrosion cracking and hydrogen diffusion in magnesium

Evaluation of recent data for hydrogen (H) diffusion in magnesium (Mg) yielded a new equation for the diffusion coefficient of H in Mg. This indicates that there can be significant H transport ahead of a stress corrosion crack in Mg at ambient temperature and that H may be involved in the mechanism of stress corrosion cracking in Mg.