Comparison of Corrosion Performance of Extruded and Forged WE43 Mg Alloy

Abstract

Adjusting the microstructure through the deformation process is one of the ways to improve the properties of Mg alloys. Most studies have focused on the influence of the microstructure after deformation treatment on the mechanical properties of Mg alloys. In this paper, extruded and forged Mg-Gd-Y-Nd-Zr alloys were selected to investigate the corrosion performance of two deformed magnesium alloys immersed in 0.6 M NaCl solution using a hydrogen evolution test, a weight loss test, an immersion experiment, and an electrochemical test. The results showed that WE43 alloys undergoing different deformation treatments presented different microstructures, which led to different corrosion behaviors and corrosion resistance. The extruded WE43 alloy showed uniform corrosion, while the forged WE43 alloy suffered severe local galvanic corrosion. Meanwhile, the corrosion rate of the forged WE43 alloy was about four times faster than that of the extruded WE43 alloy.

Microstructural Origins of the Corrosion Resistance of a Mg-Y-Nd-Zr Alloy Processed by Powder Bed Fusion – Laser Beam

“…The electrochemical activity of secondary phases is also one of the main challenges of the new alloying systems being developed for biodegradable metal implants, including the Mg-Zn-Ca alloys (Yao et al, 2021) Another important factor that might also have affected the corrosion results is the difference in grain size distribution. A smaller average grain size and more homogenous grain size distribution has previously been proven to be beneficial for the corrosion properties of Mg-RE alloys, affecting both the distribution of secondary phases, as well as the homogeneity of the surface oxide layers (Liu et al, 2014;Liu G et al, 2022). This could thus be a contributing factor to the better corrosion property of the Extr material, as well as the better corrosion properties of the AB material in comparison to the HIP material.…”