WROUGHT Mg ALLOYS DEVELOPED FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATIONS: A CORROSION STUDY

The corrosion of magnesium alloys is one of the major problems that limit the use of magnesium alloys for transportation applications. Magnesium alloys show strong susceptibility to localized corrosion in chloride solutions due to their inhomogeneous microstructure. The existence of intermetallics in the microstructure of magnesium alloys might represent initiation sites for localized corrosion. This is due to the formation of galvanic couples between the intermetallics and the surrounding matrix.
The objective of this research is to develop a platform for fundamental study of the effect of alloying elements on new wrought Mg-Zn and Mg-Al alloys for automotive application. In this study we will seek to better understand the physical metallurgy and corrosion kinetic of Mg alloys due to different alloying elements. A comprehensive knowledge of the influence of the effect of the intermetallics on the corrosion behavior will be useful for safe service conditions in the automotive industry. There are large differences in the corrosion behavior of the intermetallics observed in the studies’ alloys, due to the differences in the chemical composition, size and distribution.