Abstract
The technical and economical potential of innovative materials is gaining growing interest for technologically orientated companies. The use of lightweight materials is an extremely important consideration, especially when designing moving components (e. g. in aerospace, automotive or machine construction). Magnesium is a promising alternative to other lightweight materials, such as aluminum and titanium, due to its relatively high specific strength and stiffness. Further advantages are high thermal conductivity and good joining and machining capabilities. However, the use of magnesium alloys is restricted by relatively poor wear behavior and corrosion resistance. In order to overcome the limitations associated with magnesium alloys, a project was founded by the Materials Science Institute (MSI), at the RWTH Aachen, and the Institute of Materials Science (IW), at the University of Hannover, to deal with the application of wear and corrosion protective coatings on Mg alloys by means of thermal spraying. A variety of coating materials were applied on Mg substrates using several thermal spray processes (like Arc Spray and HVOF). The coatings were then characterized particularly with regard to their wear and corrosion properties. To further enhance the overall corrosion resistance two additional approaches were investigated. On the one hand various duplex coating systems were designed and applied. With the objective of decreasing the open porosity coatings were either densified by shot peening or sealed by applying organic sealers on the other hand.
