STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF ANODIZATION PARAMETERS ON THE STRESS CORROSION CRACKING BEHAVIOR OF AZ61 MAGNESIUM ALLOY
Magnesium alloys shows poor corrosion resistance in several industrial applications. The main challenge is to control the dissolution rate of the alloy, since the material needs to sustain its structural integrity in service. In this respect, surface treatments should be employed to control the corrosion rate. Electrolytic processes such as anodization can be employed with this purpose. In addition to increasing the chemical stability of magnesium alloys, it is also of prime interest to study their mechanical behavior. Magnesium alloys are susceptible to stress corrosion cracking. Notwithstanding, this phenomenon is not fully understood for magnesium alloys, especially for anodized materials. The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of anodization treatments on the stress corrosion cracking behavior of AZ61 magnesium alloy. Scanning electrochemical microscopy will be employed to identify the active sites for localized corrosion on the surface of the AZ61 alloy specimens, investigating their relationship with the stress corrosion cracking mechanism.