Investigation about Corrosion Properties of AZ31 Magnesium Alloy Coupled with Nitrided 40Cr Steel

Abstract

Corrosion properties of magnesium alloys coupled with foreign metals impose much influence on the life of the parts. In this paper, the corrosion properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy coupled with nitrided 40Cr steel were investigated through immersion test in saline solution and weight loss test combining with optical microscope (OM) and scanning electronic microscope (SEM) analysis. The results indicate that the anticorrosion properties of the AZ31 magnesium alloy coupled with nitrided 40Cr steel are higher than those of the AZ31 magnesium alloy coupled with unnitrided 40Cr steel. The mechanism is attributed to the resultant nitrided layer which reduces the conductive properties.