Solutions for Magnesium
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Application Examples
Predicting Secondary Phases Formed during Casting of AZ91
AZ91 is a series of the most important die casting Mg alloys. The typical microstructures of the solidified AZ91 alloys usually consist of (Mg) grains and mainly the Al12Mg17 phase at the grain boundaries [Kabirian and Mahmudi, Metall Mater Trans A 40, 2190–2201 (2009) and Wang et al, Acta Mater. 54, 689–699 (2006)]. Similar microstructures are observed in other AZ series alloys [Wu et al, Trans. Nonferrous Met. Soc. China. 21, 784–789 (2011)].
The Scheil Solidification Simulation Calculator in Thermo-Calc can predict the phases formed during solidification under both rapid cooling (non-equilibrium) and slow cooling (equilibrium) conditions. The figure shows the total fraction of all solid phases as a function of temperature for AZ91, where the solid line corresponds to the non-equilibrium Scheil calculation and the dashed line to equilibrium. As can be seen, the calculation predicts the formation of three Al-Mn compounds, Al8Mn5, Al11Mn4, and Al4Mn, in addition to the experimentally observed phases, hcp_A3-(Mg) and Al12Mg17.
Improving High-temperature Properties of Mg-based Alloys for Hot Component Applications
Improving high-temperature properties of Mg-based alloys is crucial for hot component applications. Among these, Mg–Sn–Sr alloys show strong potential for enhanced creep resistance. Sr and Sn can combine to form MgSnSr, which is a thermally stable intermetallic phase. Rare earth element additions such as Ce, Y, and Gd can further improve mechanical properties. Yang et al., 2014 found that adding 1% Ce, Y, or Gd to Mg–3Sn–2Sr (all wt.%) refined coarse MgSnSr phases, enhancing tensile and creep performance. Moreover, Ce provided the highest tensile strength, and RE-specific intermetallics—Mg₁₂Ce, MgSnY, and GdMgSn—were observed.
The figure shows the equilibrium phase fraction for the Mg–3Sn–2Sr–1Ce (wt%) alloy, calculated using the Equilibrium Calculator and Magnesium-based Alloys Database in Thermo-Calc. The existence of all predicted phases is confirmed by Yang et al., 2014.
Learn more about Applications to Mg-based Alloys
A new magnesium sheet alloy with high tensile properties and room-temperature formability