The effects of zirconium and beryllium on microstructure evolution, mechanical properties and corrosion behaviour of as-cast AZ63 alloy

Alloying elements are able to strongly modify the microstructure characteristics of Mg-Al-Zn alloys which dominate mechanical and corrosion properties of the alloys. In this research, the individual effects of Zr and Be additions on the microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties of as-cast AZ63 alloy were explored. The results revealed that the addition of Zr leads to microstructure refinement in as-cast AZ63 alloy, resulting in improved tensile and hardness properties. 0.0001 and 0.001 wt% Be containing cast AZ63 alloy exhibited microstructure coarsening, while morphological alteration from sixford symmetrical to irregular shape grain was observed for the alloy containing 0.01 and 0.1 wt% Be. No specific Be compound was detected. In addition, mechanical properties of AZ63 alloy containing Zr was improved due to the microstructure modification, while Be containing alloy responded reverse behaviour. The corrosion resistance of AZ63 alloy was improved after the addition of Zr and Be due to the grain refinement and passivation effects, respectively. However, when the Zr content exceeds 0.5 wt%, the formation of Al2Zr affected the corrosion resistance. In other words, AZ63-0.5Zr alloy provided the lowest corrosion rate.