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Microstructures, corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-6Zn-2X(Fe/Cu/Ni) alloys for plugging tool applications

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Abstract

Mg-6Zn-2X(Fe/Cu/Ni) alloys were prepared through semi-continuous casting, with the aim of identifying a degradable magnesium (Mg) alloy suitable for use in fracturing balls. A comparative analysis was conducted to assess the impacts of adding Cu and Ni, which result in finer grains and the formation of galvanic corrosion sites. Scanner electronic microscopy examination revealed that precipitated phases concentrated at grain boundaries, forming a semi-continuous network structure that facilitated corrosion penetration in Mg-6Zn-2Cu and Mg-6Zn-2Ni alloys. Pitting corrosion was observed in Mg-6Zn-2Fe, while galvanic corrosion was identified as the primary mechanism in Mg-6Zn-2Cu and Mg-6Zn-2Ni alloys. Among the tests, the Mg-6Zn-2Ni alloy exhibited the highest corrosion rate (approximately 932.9 mm/a) due to its significant potential difference. Mechanical testing showed that Mg-6Zn-2Ni alloy possessed suitable ultimate compressive strength, making it a potential candidate material for degradable fracturing balls, effectively addressing the challenges of balancing strength and degradation rate in fracturing applications.

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Acknowledgements

This work was financially supported by the Key Scientific Research Project in Shanxi Province, China (No. 202102050201003), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52071227), the Natural Science Foundation of Shanxi Province, China (No. 202103021223293), the Central Guiding Science and Technology Development of Local Fund, China (No. YDZJSK20231A046), and the Postgraduate Education Innovation Project of Shanxi Province, China (No. 2023Y686).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan, 030024, China

    Baosheng Liu, Jiali Wei, Shaohua Zhang, Yuezhong Zhang, Pengpeng Wu & Daqing Fang

  2. State Key Laboratory for Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Xi’an Jiaotong University, Xi’an, 710049, China

    Daqing Fang

  3. Intelligent Equipment Research and Development Center, Zhuhai Institute of Advanced Technology Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhuhai, 519080, China

    Guorui Ma

  4. Advanced Materials Research Institute, Zhuhai Dingmei Medical Technology Co., Ltd., Zhuhai, 519000, China

    Guorui Ma

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  1. Baosheng Liu
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Liu, B., Wei, J., Zhang, S. et al. Microstructures, corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-6Zn-2X(Fe/Cu/Ni) alloys for plugging tool applications. Int J Miner Metall Mater 31, 697–711 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12613-023-2775-6

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