ABSTRACT
Corrosion resistance is of great importance for practical applications of magnesium alloys.
In general, magnesium alloys are quite resistant against corrosion attack in rural and some
industrial environments. In general, the corrosion rate of magnesium alloys is between that
of aluminium alloys and low carbon steels. Nevertheless, the corrosion behaviour of
magnesium alloys may be quite different in different environments, and some environ-
ments can induce significant corrosion damage. Corrosion behaviour of magnesium and its
alloys depend upon alloying elements, their contents and the structure formed. It changes
also significantly with the presence of "detrimental" impurities. The main ones are N i , Fe
and C u . Forming galvanic couples, detrimental impurities in magnesium and its alloys
increase their corrosion rate. A number of protective coatings have been developed for
magnesium alloys, such that, in general, corrosion of all of them can be prevented
effectively even in quite corrosive environments [373, 411, 412].
