Influence of temperature on the atmospheric corrosion of the Mg–Al alloy AM50

Abstract

The effect of temperature on the NaCl-induced atmospheric corrosion of the Mg–Al alloy AM50 has been investigated in the laboratory. The corroded samples were analyzed gravimetrically and by SEM, EDX, XRD, and FTIR. The atmospheric corrosion of 99.97% Mg was also studied for reference. While the NaCl-induced atmospheric corrosion of AM50 is strongly reduced with decreasing temperature, 99.97% Mg does not exhibit such a trend. The temperature dependence of the atmospheric corrosion of alloy AM50 is attributed to the aluminum content in the alloy. Several crystalline magnesium hydroxy carbonates formed at 4 and 22 °C but were absent at −4 °C.