A STUDY OF CORROSION FILM GROWTH ON PURE MAGNESIUM AND A CREEP-RESISTANT MAGNESIUM ALLOY IN AN AUTOMOTIVE ENGINE COOLANT

摘要

In recent years, several creep resistant magnesium alloys have been developed creating a greater interest in using magnesium for automotive power-train components, including the engine block. One major technical concern in using magnesium for water-cooled engine blocks is its corrosion performance in presence of the engine coolant. The principal objective of this study was to determine the effects of engine coolant parameters, such as composition, presence of aggressive ions (e.g., chloride), time and temperature, on the corrosion film growth on pure magnesium and a creep resistant magnesium alloy (AM-SC1). The film thickness and composition were determined using both Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) and Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS). A design of experiments approach was used to determine the main effects of these parameters and their interactions on the corrosion film growth.