Surface Modification of Magnesium Alloy by Shot Lining and Laser Heating

Magnesium alloy has a wide range of application prospects in the automobile and electronic industries. However, peeling of the coating material may occur under harsh environments such as high and low temperatures and high humidity with the conventional coating techniques. The authors have proposed a lining process of metals with thin aluminium foils using shot peening. In this method, the foil can be bonded to the workpiece surface bringing about large plastic deformation. The pressure generated by the hit of many shots is utilized for the bonding. In the present study, to improve the surface characteristics of magnesium alloy, the formation of an Fe-Al intermetallic compound film on magnesium alloy by compound treatment combining shot lining method and heat treatment was mainly investigated. Shot peening was performed with a centrifugal-type machine using cast steel ball. The lined sheet is aluminum foil with pure iron powders, and the workpiece was the commercial magnesium alloys. The lined workpieces are heat treated by laser in air. The Vickers hardness test was performed with a microhardness tester. It was confirmed that the present method could be used for the formation of functional films on the magnesium alloy.