Improved corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of severely deformed ZM31 alloy

A I Alateyah; Amal BaQais; Mohamed M Z Ahmed; Yasser Zedan; Majed O Alawad; Mohamed S El-Asfoury; W H El-Garaihy

doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26400

Improved corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of severely deformed ZM31 alloy

Heliyon. 2024 Feb 14;10(4):e26400. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26400. eCollection 2024 Feb 29.

Authors

A I Alateyah¹, Amal BaQais², Mohamed M Z Ahmed^{3

4}, Yasser Zedan⁵, Majed O Alawad⁶, Mohamed S El-Asfoury⁷, W H El-Garaihy^{1

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, Qassim University, Unaizah, 56452, Saudi Arabia.
² Department of Chemistry, College of Science, Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh, 11671, Saudi Arabia.
³ Mechanical Engineering Department, College of Engineering at Al Kharj, Prince Sattam Bin Abdulaziz University, Al Kharj, 11942, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department, Faculty of Petroleum and Mining Engineering, Suez University, Suez, 43511, Egypt.
⁵ École de Technologie Supérieure, Department of Mechanical Engineering, 1100 Notre-Dame West, Montreal, QC H4J1J9, Canada.
⁶ Center of Excellence for Nanomaterials for Clean Energy Applications, King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST), Riyadh, 12354, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Production Engineering and Mechanical Design Department, Faculty of Engineering, Port-Said University, Port- Said, 42523, Egypt.
⁸ Mechanical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, 41522, Egypt.

Abstract

The hexagonal close-packed (HCP) crystal structure of Mg alloys lead to poor formability as well as other undesirable mechanical behaviors in an otherwise highly sought-after alloy for commercial use. This study investigates the evolution of microstructure, texture, corrosion and mechanical behaviors in Mg-Zn-Mn (ZM31) alloy after processing using Equal Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP). Dynamic recrystallization was evident in the ECAP-processed samples, correlated with a substantial fiber structure, and resulted in the attainment of notable grain refinement and high lattice strain. Average grain sizes of 2.2 and 2 μm were achieved via 2 and 4-Pass Bc processing, respectively. This significant refinement yielded lower corrosion rates through enhancement of the thickness, coherency, and stability of formed protective oxide layers. The corrosion rate in the NaCl medium was substantially enhanced by 99.5% after four passes via route Bc. The recrystallized fine structure was found to have contributed to yield strength, ultimate strength, and microhardness improvements. Deformation enhanced yield and ultimate strengths by 132% and 64%, respectively. The distinctive grain refinement mechanism exhibited through the current ECAP procedure has potential to pave the way for novel and impactful utilizations of ZM31 in industries that demand exceptional mechanical and corrosion performance.

Keywords: Biomedical metallic materials; Corrosion behavior; Crystallographic texture; ECAP; Mechanical property; Mg-Zn-Mn alloys; Microstructure evolution.