Improving corrosive wear resistance of Mg-Zn-Y-Zr alloys through heat treatment

The wear behavior of an as-received Mg-Zn-Y-Zr alloy before and after a facile heat treatment was investigated under sliding in air and 0.5 wt.% NaCl solution. Results revealed that the wear resistance of the alloy was remarkably enhanced after the heat treatment, irrespective of testing condition. The wear mechanism was predominantly abrasive wear accompanied by oxidation under the dry sliding condition, while corrosive wear was dominant under sliding in the NaCl solution. The superior corrosive wear resistance was attributed to the homogenous distribution of fine I-phase precipitates in the alloy by the heat treatment, leading to a reduction in wear, corrosion as well as wear-corrosion synergy. The wear-accelerated corrosion rate was remarkably alleviated after the heat treatment.