High Energy Micro-arc Alloying of ZM5 Mg Alloy by Mg-Y Electrode under Liquid

High-energy micro-arc alloying (HEMAA) is a consumable electrode,micro-welding process which uses electrical pulses that are typically three orders of magnitude shorter than in other pulse welding processes.Pulse durations of a few microseconds combined with pulse frequencies in the 0.1 to 2-kilohertz range thus allow substrate heat dissipation over ～99% of the duty cycle while heating only about 1%.The cooling rates may approach 105 to 106 ℃/s,depending on material.This obtained coating can produce unique corrosion and tribological benefits.Substrates require no special surface preparation and nearly any metal,alloy or cermets can be applied to metal surfaces.This paper details experimental results when alloying Mg base alloy ZM5,using Mg-Y electrodes with a water-based dielectric fluid.The morphology and the composition of the alloying was analyzed by scanning electron microscope(SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray analysis(EDX).At the discharge energies employed,a thin recast layer thickness and rougher layers were formed on the surface.All layers were in general discontinuous.EDX analysis showed that the Y transferred from the solid electrodes to the workpiece surface.