Stress Corrosion Cracking of ZEK100 Magnesium Alloy for Automotive Applications

ZEK100 magnesium alloy has attracted considerable interest for automotive body structure applications in light-weight vehicles due to its excellent formability at room temperature. However, the intrinsic tendency of magnesium alloys to corrode under wet conditions has been a concern. Reports on the corrosion resistance and, in particular, the stress corrosion cracking (SCC) susceptibility of ZEK100 under automotive service conditions have been scarce. In this work, the SCC of ZEK100 magnesium alloy was characterized by slow strain rate testing method. The effects of microstructure and corrosion environment on the SCC resistance of the alloy have been investigated. The results represent outcomes from a US-Canada-China collaborative research and development project — Magnesium Front End Research and Development (MFERD) currently underway.