Influence of temperature on the atmospheric corrosion of the MgAl alloy AM50 produced by semi-solid cast and high pressure die cast technique

Paper in proceeding, 2013

The effect of temperature on the atmospheric corrosion of the MgAl alloy AM50 was investigated in the laboratory. The alloy was investigated in both semi-solid cast and high pressure die cast form. Polished samples were exposed to air containing 400ppm CO2 for up to 4 weeks at 22ºC, 4ºC and -4oC at 95% relative humidity (RH). The rate of corrosion was determined by mass gain and metal loss measurements. The corrosion products were analyzed by SEM/EDX. Analysis by XRD showed that the composition of the crystalline corrosion product depended on the exposure temperature. Both materials exhibited a strong positive correlation between temperature and the rate of NaCl-induced atmospheric corrosion. It is suggested that the temperature dependence of corrosion is related to the dissolution of alumina in the passive film. The semi-solid cast material exhibited lower average corrosion rates at all three temperatures.