Microstructure and Corrosion Resistance Property of a Zn-AI-Mg Alloy with Different Solidification Processes

Zn-Al-Mg alloy coating attracted much attention due to its high corrosion resistance properties, especially high anti-corrosion performance at the cut edge. As the Zn-Al-Mg alloy coating was usually produced by hot-dip galvanizing method, solidification process was considered to influence its microstructure and corrosion properties. In this work, a Zn-Al-Mg cast alloy was melted and cooled to room temperature with different solidification processes, including water quench, air cooling and furnace cooling. Microstructure of the alloy with different solidification processes was characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Result shows that the microstructure of the Zn-Al-Mg alloy are strongly influenced by solidification process. With increasing solidification rate, more Al is remained in the primary crystal. Electrochemical analysis indicates that with lowering solidification rate, the corrosion current density of the Zn-Al-Mg alloy decreases, which means higher corrosion resistance.