Determination of the Effect of Deformation on the Corrosion Resistance of Zn-Al-Mg Coated Sheets

In the automotive industry, deep-drawn sheet metals are widely used and protective coatings are applied to its surfaces to improve certain performance properties (e.g. to increase corrosion resistance). Sheets with these coatings are stressed during the forming process of the part and cracking of the protective coating may occur. The main goal of this paper is to determine the resistance of a Zn-Al-Mg based protective coating to uniaxial and triaxial stresses, and also to determine how effective anticorrosion resistance the coating provides to the base steel matrix in the event that cracking occurs. It has been shown that both uniaxial and triaxial loading leads to a failure of the Zn-Al-Mg coating integrity. Salt spray corrosion tests of 3 and 6 weeks were subsequently performed on both deformed and undeformed base material samples. These tests showed that a continuous Al2O3 layer is formed between the steel matrix and the coating, which, irrespective of the formation of cracks in the coating, is the main contributor to the increase in corrosion resistance of the sheet.