The role of advanced electrochemical research methods for new magnesium alloys products

The guide direction today is reduction of vehicle weight and saving of fuel consumption. Magnesium is the lightest of all the commonly used metals and is very attractive for applications in automotive industry. However, environmentally assisted fracture significantly decreases the fatigue and creep resistance, mechanical stability and durability of high-strength Mg alloys. For example, such magnesium applications as wheels, transmission housings, pedals, etc. require good fatigue resistance in corrosive atmosphere. In order to produce parts for the automotive industry it is necessary to develop alloys with formability and durability in active environments. Until recently, corrosion resistance and creep resistance have been considered to be the main issues for long-term durability, reliability and applicability of Mg-based structural materials. These problems traditionally have been separated as corrosion behavior in non-stressed states and creep in non-corrosive conditions. In recent years the importance of environmental effects in many types of fracture processes has been recognized and it seems worthwhile therefore to examine more closely the role of environment in creep rupture as combined stress-environmental effects. So, the investigation of environmental assisted creep is very important as a tool to discover a mechanism of processes going in the tip of a crack and as the phenomenon very influencing mechanical stability of alloys in real service conditions. However, mechanical and corrosion processes develop simultaneously in real environment conditions, and inevitably lead to the appearance of new synergistic effects which significantly reduce the lifetime of Mg-alloys.