Excimer laser treatment of ZE41 magnesium alloy for corrosion resistance and microhardness improvement

Walid Khalfaoui (1) , Eric Valério (1) , Jean-Eric Masse (2) , Michel Autric (1)

1 Institut Universitaire des systemes Thermiques Industriels - UMR 6595
2 MSMP - Mechanics surfaces and materials processing

A laser surface melting treatment (LSMT) was performed on a ZE41 Mg-alloy using an excimer KrF laser. The laser-melted layer depth depends on the laser scan speed. The morphology and the microstructure of the laser-melted surface were characterized, thanks to the scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The melted Mg-alloy presented a homogenous distribution of the alloying elements in the magnesium matrix. The laser surface melting treatment increased the microhardness of the ZE41 Mg-alloy and improved its corrosion resistance.

Mots clés: Laser process; Magnesium alloy ZE4; Laser surface melting; Corrosion; Microhardness

Domaines: Matériaux

Walid Khalfaoui, Eric Valério, Jean-Eric Masse, Michel Autric. Excimer laser treatment of ZE41 magnesium alloy for corrosion resistance and microhardness improvement. Optics and Lasers in Engineering, 2010, 48 (9), pp.926-931. ⟨10.1016/j.optlaseng.2010.03.009⟩. ⟨hal-01060102⟩