Corrosion: Critical Challenge in Wider Use of Magnesium Alloys

Corrosion and Mechanical Behavior of the As-Cast and Solid-Solution-Treated AM50 Magnesium Alloy in Different Media

Hydrogen embrittlement and the anodic dissolution mechanism are two important aspects of the corrosion behavior of magnesium alloys. Here, to evaluate the effects of these two aspects on the corrosion failure of magnesium alloys under stress, the stress and corrosion behaviors of the AM50 magnesium alloy in air, deionized water, and NaCl solution after solid-solution (T4) treatment were investigated by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, slow strain rate tensile testing, and vacuum dehydrogenation. The as-cast AM50 magnesium alloy was mainly composed of the α-Mg and β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phases. After T4 treatment, the amount of the β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase was significantly reduced, and only a small amount existed at the grain boundaries. After T4 treatment, the stress corrosion resistance in deionized water improved, but it decreased in an NaCl environment. Dehydrogenation experiments showed that the effect of hydrogen on the corrosion process was weakened owing to the decrease of the β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase after solution treatment. The effects of hydrogen embrittlement and the anodic dissolution mechanism on the corrosion behavior of the AM50 magnesium alloy under stress were different. In deionized water, the hydrogen embrittlement mechanism played the major role, while the anodic dissolution mechanism played the major role in the presence of Cl^- ions.