ISSN print edition: 0366-6352 ISSN electronic edition: 1336-9075 Registr. No.: MK SR 9/7 Published monthly

Advanced microstructural engineering through thermo-mechanical processing for enhanced corrosion resistance in Mg-Gd-Y alloys

Md Saad Patel, Ariful Rahaman, and R. Jose Immanuel

School of Mechanical Engineering, Vellore Institute of Technology, Vellore, India

E-mail: md.saad.patel755@gmail.com

Received: 23 April 2025  Accepted: 30 May 2025

Abstract:

Magnesium alloys with Gd and Y alloying have emerged as promising materials for various critical applications due to their excellent strength-to-weight ratio and mechanical performance. However, their corrosion resistance often hinders their broader adoption, necessitating advanced strategies to optimize their performance. This study explores the potential of a surface thermo-mechanical process, friction stir processing (FSP), in tailoring the corrosion behavior of Mg-Gd-Y alloys through microstructural engineering. The prime focus of this study is to look into the role of rare-earth elements distribution and grain refinement on the corrosion performance. Results demonstrate that FSP effectively reduces grain size from 302.36 to 10.05 µm in the material with 4% alloying of Gd and Y. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis suggests that the temperature during FSP was higher than the dissolution temperature of the alloy’s intermetallic phases (282–375 °C), which improved the solid solubility of rare-earth elements (REE) in the Mg-matrix thereby facilitating their redistribution and minimizing the intergranular segregation. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis suggests that suppressed micro-galvanic coupling and promoted formation of stable Mg/REE oxide layers leads to better corrosion performance. Multi-pass FSP processing strategy led to further microstructural refinement and superior corrosion resistance of 0.18 mm/year. The study opens up a potential research direction in exploring surface microstructural engineering as a promising technique for developing corrosion-resistant Mg alloys.

Keywords: Corrosion; Materials Science; Metals and Alloys; Tribology; Materials Chemistry; Materials Engineering; Magnesium alloys; Rare-earth element alloying; Friction stir processing; Corrosion performance; Grain refinement

Full paper is available at www.springerlink.com.

DOI: 10.1007/s11696-025-04172-8

Chemical Papers 79 (8) 5585–5591 (2025)