Influence of Chemical Composition of Mg Alloys on Surface Alloying by Diffusion Coating

A recently developed technique of surface alloying by diffusion-coating has been used to produce coatings on Mg alloys with various Al and Zn contents. The experimental results show that both Al and Zn solutes in the alloy promote the diffusion of alloying elements through grain refinement of the substrate alloys and through reduction of diffusion active energy because of the reduction of melting temperature of the alloys. Therefore, the efficiency of surface alloying increases by diffusion coating. Thick, dense, uniform, and continuous layers of intermetallic compounds, which consist of a τ-phase layer and a β-phase layer, can be produced on the surface of various Mg alloys. The intermetallic compound layers not only have microhardness values that are 4 to 6 times higher than the substrate but also provide effective protection of the Mg alloys from corrosion in 5 pct NaCl solution at room temperature.