Mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of Mg-RE cast alloys and their plasma electrolytic oxidation
Abstract The effect of heat treatment on the mechanical properties (hardness, plasticity, yield and tensile strength) and corrosion resistance of several cast magnesium alloys with additions of rare earth metals (Y, Nd and Gd), and their surface modification by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) were investigated. It was found that the heat treatment of the alloys results information of Mg12YZn, Mg3Zn3Y2 and Mg24Y5 based LPSO-phases and causes an increase in hardness and tensile strength by 5-7 and 20-25%, respectively, but at the same time, corrosion resistance of the alloysdrops by 10-20 times. PEO of the alloys after heat treatment reduced the corrosion currents by 1-3 orders of magnitude without changing the corrosion potential.