A review on wear resistance of Mg alloys: the influence of common rare earth alloying elements and general modification techniques

The poor wear resistance of magnesium (Mg) alloys has hindered their widespread application. Therefore, researchers have focused on how the addition of rare earth (RE) elements to Mg alloys and the modification methods affect their tribological behaviour. This overview reflects the research on the wear of Mg alloys. Several treatments and modification methods have been utilised to improve the wear behaviour of Mg alloys, including cryogenic treatment, deep cryogenic treatment, precipitation hardening, surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) and laser surface melting. Accordingly, except for SMAT, the other processes positively affected the wear resistance. Therefore, adding RE elements to Mg alloys and applying modification processes improve the wear resistance, especially at high temperatures.