Effect of heat treatment on corrosion behavior of low pressure sand cast Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloys

The corrosion behaviors of low-pressure sand cast Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.5Zr (wt.%) alloys in as-cast, solution treated (T4) and aged (T6) conditions were studied by means of immersion test and electrochemical measurements in 5wt.% NaCl solution saturated with Mg(OH)2. It was observed that the corrosion rate in the T4 condition was lower than that of the as-cast and T6 conditions by both sand casting and permanent mold casting with the same order of as-cast>T6>T4; while the corrosion resistance of the permanent mold casting is superior to the sand casting. The morphologies of the corrosion products are similar porous structures consisting of tiny erect flakes perpendicular to the corroded surface of the alloy, irrespective of the heat treatment conditions. Especially, the corrosion film in T4 condition is more compact than that in the other two conditions. In addition, the severer corrosion happening to the as-cast condition is correlated with the galvanic corrosion between the matrix and the eutectic compounds; while improved corrosion resistance for the T4 and T6 conditions is ascribed to the dissolution of the secondary eutectic compounds. The measured corrosion current densities of Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.5Zr alloys in as-cast, T4, and T6 conditions are 36 μA·cm-2, 10 μA·cm-2, and 33 μA·cm-2, respectively. The proposed equivalent circuit [Rs(CPE1(Rt(RfCPE2))] by Zview software matches well with the tested electrochemical impedance spectra (EIS) data.