Microstructure characterization of early corrosion behavior of AM60B magnesium alloys

Abstract

The microstructures and corrosion behavior of AM60B magnesium alloys, produced by both high-pressure die casting (HPDC) and super vacuum die casting (SVDC) processes, were investigated by a combination of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and slow positron beam technique. XRD confirmed that calcium carbonate (CaCO3) deposited on the surface of alloys during the early stages of corrosion, and the deposition rate of CaCO3 for SVDC with corrosion time was slower than that of HPDC. SEM observation found that the β-phases in the skin surface of SVDC alloy had a greater volume fraction and more continuous distribution than that of HPDC alloy, leading to lower volume fraction of CaCO3 deposited on surface of SVDC alloy for the same corrosion time. The slow positron beam Doppler broadening measurement revealed that the thickness of surface corrosion layer increased with corrosion time. Compared with HPDC alloy, the increase rate of thickness for SVDC alloy is slower, which implied that SVDC alloy exhibited a better corrosion resistance than HPDC alloy.