Enhanced mechanical properties and degradation rate of Mg-3Zn-1Y based alloy by Cu addition for degradable fracturing ball applications

In order to find good candidate materials for degradable fracturing ball, a new hot extruded Mg-3Zn-1Y-4Cu alloy with excellent mechanical properties and rapid degradation behavior was fabricated by appropriate addition Cu to high-strength Mg-3Zn-1Y alloys. Compared with the Mg-3Zn-1Y alloy, the tensile and compressive properties of Mg-3Zn-1Y-4Cu alloy are dramatically enhanced by adding Cu, with the ultimate tensile and compressive strength of 302 and 385 MPa, which can be attributed to the formation of the refined grains and the strengthening MgZnCu phase distributed within the matrix. Furthermore, Mg-3Zn-1Y-4Cu alloy shows a high degradation rate as demonstrated by immersion tests and polarization curves, which is 38 times higher corrosion rates than Mg-3Zn-1Y alloy. The newly developed Mg-3Zn-1Y-4Cu alloy can thus be used as degradable fracturing ball.