Electrochemical Corrosion Resistance of Mg Alloy ZK60 in Different Planes with Respect to Extrusion Direction

The electrochemical corrosion resistance of a Mg-Zn-Zr alloy, ZK60, in different planes with respect to the extrusion direction was investigated in 3.5 wt% NaCl. The motivation of this study lies in the influence of extrusion on the grain size, texture and precipitation characteristics of magnesium alloys, and the profound role of these characteristics in the corrosion resistance of the alloys. Corrosion resistance was found to be considerably superior in the plane transverse to the extrusion direction (TD) than in the extrusion direction (ED) or normal to the extrusion direction (ND). The difference in the corrosion resistance was attributed to the variations in microstructural features in the TD, ED and ND directions.