Mechanical and Tribological Analysis of Anodized AZ31 Magnesium Alloy as a Function of a Cement Concrete Environment

Anodized AZ31 Magnesium Alloys was synthesized via electrodeposition processes. The aim of this work was to determine the mechanical and tribological response of the anodized AZ31 Magnesium alloy with different current densities immersed under cement concrete paste with different solidification times. The samples of the anodized alloy were characterized by microindentation so, the mechanical properties (micro-hardness) was increased by 32 % when the magnesium alloy was anodized with a current density of 25 mA/cm2, in this sense the friction coefficient between the anodized AZ31 magnesium (MgO) obtained with the highest current density and the metallic AZ31 alloy exhibited a reduction of 54.5 %. The scratch test and wear rate (abrasive sliding of cement concrete) show an increase in the critical load and a reduction of weight loss as a function of the applied current density around of 49 % and 92.3 %, respectively. Scanning electron microscopy was performed to analyze morphological surface changes on the anodized AZ31 alloy after tribological tests. The tribological behavior of the anodized AZ31/MgO system indicates that the AZ31/MgO coatings can have a promising future in applications for the civil construction industry.