Corrosion of Magnesium and its Alloys

Abstract

Magnesium alloys generally have a fairly good corrosion resistance, but as the most electrochemically active engineering materials, they require corrosion protective measures if they are used in aggressive environments and/or in contact with other materials. Another large concern is stress corrosion cracking. The combination of mechanical stresses and corrosive attack can promote the initiation and growth of cracks which may result in abrupt failure without preceding plastic deformation. After a basic introduction to magnesium and magnesium processing, the major corrosion problems and their mechanisms are discussed in this chapter. This is followed by a summary of corrosion prevention strategies and examples of typical applications.