The effect of laser cladding on the corrosion resistance of magnesium ZK60/SiC composite

The effect of laser cladding on the corrosion resistance of magnesium ZK60/SiC composite has been studied. Al–Zn powders were thermal sprayed on ZK60/SiC composite and then remelted by a YAG laser. As a result, a good metallurgical bond interface was obtained. The microstructure and phase structure of the coating was investigated. The corrosion resistance of the coatings was also measured by means of anodic polarization curves. The experimental results showed that the corrosion potential of the laser-clad sample was about 300 mV higher than that of the as-received sample, while the corrosion current was at least three orders of magnitude lower. The mechanism of these effects are also discussed in the paper.