Comparison of as-cast microstructure,tensile and creep properties for Mg-3Sn-1Ca and Mg-3Sn-2Ca magnesium alloys

The as-cast microstructure,tensile and creep properties of Mg-3Sn-1Ca and Mg-3Sn-2Ca magnesium alloys were investigated and compared by using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy,X-ray diffraction analysis and tensile tests. The results indicate that the as-cast microstructures of Mg-3Sn-1Ca and Mg-3Sn-2Ca alloys are different.The former is mainly composed ofα-Mg,eutectic CaMgSn and solid state precipitation of Mg 2 Sn,whereas the latter is mainly composed ofα-Mg, primary CaMgSn,eutectic CaMgSn and Mg2Ca phases.As a result,the two alloys obtain different tensile and creep properties. Mg-3Sn-1Ca alloy shows relatively higher ultimate tensile strength and elongation at room temperature and 150℃than Mg-3Sn-2Ca alloy,however,the yield strengths of Mg-3Sn-1Ca alloy at room temperature and 150℃are relatively low.In addition,the creep properties of Mg-3Sn-1Ca alloy at 150℃and 70 MPa for 100 h are obviously lower than those of the Mg-3Sn-2Ca alloy.     

Effects of calcium addition on as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-5Zn-5Sn alloy

The effects of Ca addition on the as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of the Mg-5Zn-5Sn (mass fraction,%) alloy were investigated.The results indicate that an addition of 0.5%-1.5% (mass fraction) Ca to the Mg-5Zn-5Sn alloy not only refines the as-cast microstructure of the alloy but also causes the formation of the primary and/or eutectic CaMgSn phases with high thermal stability;an increase in Ca amount from 0.5% to 1.5% (mass fraction) increases the amount and size of the CaMgSn phase.In addition,Ca addition to the Mg-5Zn-5Sn alloy improves not only the tensile properties at room temperature and 150 ℃ but also the creep properties.Among the Ca-containing Mg-5Zn-5Sn alloys,the one added 0.5% (mass fraction) Ca obtains the optimum ultimate tensile strength and elongation at room temperature and 150 ℃,however,the alloy added 1.5% (mass fraction) Ca exhibits the optimum yield strength and creep properties.     

Effects of minor Sr addition on as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of a Mg-3Sn-2Ca(wt.%) magnesium alloy

Minor Sr was introduced to the Mg-3Sn-2Ca(wt.%) alloy in this paper, and the effects of minor Sr addition on the as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of the Mg-3Sn-2Ca(wt.%) alloy were investigated by using of optical and electron microscopies, differential scanning calorimetry(DSC) analysis, and tensile and creep tests. The results indicate that, after adding 0.034wt.%, 0.065wt.% or 0.10wt.% Sr to the Mg-3Sn-2Ca alloy, the morphology of the primary CaMgSn phase changes from the initial coarse needle-like net to relatively fi ne short block and/or particle-like shapes. At the same time, the additions of 0.034wt.% or 0.065wt.% Sr suppress the formation of the primary CaMgSn phase, and the addition of 0.10wt.% Sr not only suppresses the formation of the primary and eutectic CaMgSn phases but also promotes the formation of Mg2Ca phase. Furthermore, the addition of minor Sr to the Mg-3Sn-2Ca alloy can improve the tensile properties of the alloy both at room temperature and 150 ℃. The creep property of the Mg-3Sn-2Ca alloy at 150 ℃ is also improved by the additions of 0.034wt.% and 0.065wt.% Sr; however, the addition of 0.10wt.% Sr is not benefi cial to the creep properties of the Mg-3Sn-2Ca alloy.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-Zn-Gd-based alloys strengthened with quasicrystal and Laves phase

One kind of Mg3.5Zn0.6Gd-based alloy strengthened with quasicrystals was designed, and the effect of alloying elements on microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-Zn-Gd alloy at room temperature and elevated temperatures were studied. The results indicate that MgZnCu Laves phase, which coexists with quasicrystal at grain boundary, emerges with the addition of copper element in Mg-Zn-Gd alloy. The strength of alloys exhibits the parabola curve with the increase of copper content. The alloy with 1.5% （mole fraction） Cu shows better mechanical properties at room temperature： tensile strength 176 MPa, yield strength 176 MPa and elongation 6.5%. The existence of MgZnCu Laves phase can effectively improve the heat resistance and elevated temperature properties of the alloy. The alloy with 1.5% Cu has better mechanical properties at 200℃ ： tensile strength 130 MPa and elongation 18.5%. The creep test of the alloys at 200℃ and 50 MPa for 102 h indicates that Mg3.5Zn0.6Gd alloy reinforced with quasicrystal has better creep properties than AE42, which can be further improved with the introduction of Laves phase in the alloy.     

Microstructures and tensile properties of as-extruded Mg-Sn binary alloys

The microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-xSn(x=3,7 and 14,mass fraction,%) alloys extruded indirectly at 300℃ were investigated by means of optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy and tensile test.The grain size of theα-Mg matrix decreases from 220,160 and 93μm after the homogenization treatment to 28,3 and 16μm in the three alloys after extrusion,respectively.The results show that the grain refinement is most remarkable in the as-extruded Mg-7Sn alloy.At the same time,the amount of the Mg2Sn particles remarkably increases in the Mg-7Sn alloy with very uniform distribution in theα-Mg matrix.In contrast,the Mg2Sn phase inherited from the solidification with a large size is mainly distributed along grain boundary in the Mg-14Sn alloy.The tensile tests at room temperature show that the ultimate tensile strength of the as-extruded Mg-7Sn alloy is the highest,i.e.,255 MPa,increased by 120%as compared with that of as-cast samples.     

Effects of Sm addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of a Mg-10Y alloy简

To further increase the mechanical properties, 0.5wt.% Sm was introduced to a Mg-10Y alloy in this study. The effects of Sm addition on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the Mg-10Y alloy, especially the aged Mg-10Y alloy, were investigated. The microstructure observation and tensile tests were performed by using an optical microscopy, a scanning electron microscopy and a universal material testing machine, respectively. The phase analysis was performed using X-ray diffractometer. The results show that the 0.5wt.% Sm addition can not only promote the formation of fine and dispersed Mg24Y5 phases, but also improve their morphology and distribution; it also increases the thermal stability of Mg24Y5 phases. Sm addition is seen to increase the ultimate tensile strength of Mg-10Y alloy at elevated temperatures(200, 250, 300 and 350 ℃), while decrease the elongation. But the elongation is still up to 7.5% even at 350 ℃. In the range of 250 ℃ to 300℃, the ultimate tensile strength of the alloy reaches its maximum(with a range average of 235 MPa) and is not sensitive to the temperature change, which is very useful to the application of heat-resistant magnesium alloys. Even at 350 ℃, the ultimate tensile strength of Mg-10Y-0.5Sm is still up to 155 MPa. Considering both of the ultimate tensile strength and elongation, the maximum application temperature of the Mg-10Y-0.5Sm alloy can be up to 300 ℃. The strengthening mechanisms of Mg-10Y-0.5Sm alloy are mainly attributed to dispersion strengthening of Mg24Y5 phase particles with a certain solubility of Sm and grain refinement strengthening of α-Mg matrix.     

Effect of Cu addition on microstructure and properties of Mg-10Zn-5Al-0.1Sb high zinc magnesium alloy

To improve the strength,hardness and heat resistance of Mg-Zn based alloys,the effects of Cu addition on the as-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-10Zn-5Al-0.1Sb high zinc magnesium alloy were investigated by means of Brinell hardness measurement,scanning electron microscopy (SEM),energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS),XRD and tensile tests at room and elevated temperatures.The results show that the microstructure of as-cast Mg-10Zn-5Al-0.1Sb alloy is composed of α-Mg,t-Mg32(Al,Zn)49,φ-Al2Mg5Zn2 and Mg3Sb2 phases.The morphologies of these phases in the Cu-containing alloys change from semi-continuous long strip to black herringbone as well as particle-like shapes with increasing Cu content.When the addition of Cu is over 1.0wt.%,the formation of a new thermally-stable Mg2Cu phase can be observed.The Brinell hardness,room temperature and elevated temperature strengths firstly increase and then decrease as the Cu content increases.Among the Cu-containing alloys,the alloy with the addition of 2.0wt.% Cu exhibits the optimum mechanical properties.Its hardness and strengths at room and elevated temperatures are 79.35 HB,190MPa and 160MPa,which are increased by 9.65%,21.1% and 14.3%,respectively compared with those of the Cu-free one.After T6 heat treatment,the strengths at room and elevated temperatures are improved by 20% and 10%,respectively compared with those of the as-cast alloy.This research results provide a new way for strengthening of magnesium alloys at room and elevated temperatures,and a method of producing thermally-stable Mg-10Zn-5Al based high zinc magnesium alloys.     

Effect of Ca on microstructure and high temperature creep properties of AM60-1Ce alloy

A series of AM60-1Ce-xCa(x=0, 0.5, 1.5, 2.5) magnesium alloys were prepared by gravity casting method and analyzed by means of XRD, DSC and SEM. The effects of Ca on normal temperature mechanical properties and high temperature creep behavior of alloys were characterized by tensile and constant creep test.Microstructure analysis indicated that Ca was preferentially combined with Al in the alloy to form the high melting point Al_2Ca phase at the grain boundary. The addition of Ca can refine the crystal grains and reduces the content of β-Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase. With the increase of Ca content in the alloy, Al_2Ca phases at the grain boundary gradually changed to the network of lamellar structure, and replaced the β-Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase as the main strengthening phase gradually. The creep resistance of the alloy continuously increases because the high-temperature stable phase Al_2Ca firmly nailed at grain boundaries impedes the sliding of grain boundaries. However, when the addition of Ca was more than 1.5%, mechanical properties of the alloy started to decrease, which was probably due to the large amount of irregularly shaped Al_2Ca phases at the grain boundary. Experimental results show that the optimal addition amount of Ca is 1.5 wt.%.     

Microstructure and mechanical properties of ZA62 based magnesium alloys with calcium addition

As-cast microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-6Zn-2Al-0.3Mn (ZA62) alloys with calcium addition were investigated.The as-cast microstructure of the base alloy ZA62 consists of the α-Mg matrix and eutectic phase Mg51Zn20.The Mg51Zn20 eutectic was gradually replaced by MgZn phase and Mg32(Al,Zn)49 phase when calcium is added into the base alloy.Further addition of calcium leads to the increase of grain boundary phases and formation of a new quaternary Mg-Zn-Al-Ca eutectic compound.In comparison with the base alloy,the increase of calcium addition to the base alloy results in the reduction of both strength and ductility at ambient temperature,but increase at elevated temperatures due to the thermal stability of Ca-containing phases.At elevated temperatures,the creep resistance of ZA62 based alloys containing calcium is significantly higher than that of AZ91 which is the most commonly used magnesium alloy.     

Effect of element Gd on phase constituent and mechanical property of Mg-5Sn-1Ca alloy

The Mg-5Sn-1Ca-xGd (x=0, 1) alloys were chosen to investigate the change in solidification paths, phase formation and mechanical properties. The microstructure of as-cast Mg-5Sn-1Ca alloy is composed of α-Mg, Mg2Sn and CaMgSn phases. With the addition of Gd, the formation of the Mg2Sn phase is impeded and the CaMgSn phase is refined, whereas the ultimate tensile strength and elongation decrease. The possible reasons for the variation in microstructure and mechanical properties were discussed.     

Ca对Mg-5Al-1Bi合金显微组织和力学性能的影响

使用X射线衍射仪、金相显微镜、扫描电镜、能谱仪及力学性能测试等试验手段,研究了Ca含量对铸态Mg-5Al-1Bi镁合金显微组织和力学性能的影响。结果表明,铸态Mg-5Al-1Bi镁合金由α-Mg基体和β-Mg17Al12相组成,加入Ca后,合金晶粒细化,β-Mg17Al12相的数量减少,由连续变得较为分散。当Ca含量达到3%时,合金中生成新的第二相Al2Ca。高熔点相Al2Ca在高温条件下能钉扎晶界,阻碍晶界滑移,有利于提高合金的高温蠕变性能。合金硬度和屈服强度随着Ca含量的增加而提高,而抗拉强度和伸长率下降。     

Zn含量对Mg-Gd-Zn合金显微组织与力学性能的影响

研究了3种成分的Mg-11Gd-(1,1.5,2)Zn合金的显微组织和力学性能。结果表明,合金的铸态显微组织均由α-Mg基体、(Mg,Zn)3Gd共晶相和14H型LPSO相组成。铸态组织中(Mg,Zn)3Gd相的体积分数随Zn含量的增加而增大,且其热稳定性不断提高。同时,合金中LPSO相的体积分数也随Zn含量的增加而逐渐增大。合金在常温时的抗拉强度随着Zn含量的增加而降低,其中Zn含量较少的Mg-11Gd-1Zn合金在T6处理后呈现最高的强度和良好的塑性。当Zn含量较多时,合金T6处理的效果却远低于T5处理。随Zn含量的增加,合金在200℃高温下的抗蠕变性能也略有下降,但3种合金的抗蠕变性能都优于WE54合金。     

Effects of Sb Addition on Microstructural Evolution and Mechanical Properties of Mg–9Al–5Sn Alloy

The Mg–9Al–5Sn-xSb(x=0.0,0.3,0.6,1.0,1.5 wt%) alloys were prepared by a simple alloying process followed by hot extrusion with an extrusion ratio of 28.2. The effects of Sb additions on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Mg–9 Al–5 Sn alloys were investigated by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometer. The results indicated that the phases α-Mg matrix, Mg_2_Sn, Mg_3Sb_2 and Mg_17 Al_12 exist in the as-cast Sb-containing alloys. Sb addition results in the precipitation of Mg_3Sb_2. The dendritic size of these alloys decreases with the addition of Sb. Both their ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of extruded alloys increase, and their elongation decreases gradually with increasing the content of Sb. The better mechanical properties of the as-extruded alloys were achieved due to the refined grains and the formation of dispersive second phases Mg_3Sb_2.     

Sn对Mg-6Al-1.2Y-0.9Nd镁合金组织和性能的影响

采用XRD、OM、SEM和EDS等手段研究Sn对Mg-6Al-1.2Y-0.9Nd合金微观组织和力学性能的影响。结果表明, Sn可以显著提高合金从室温到175 ℃区间的抗拉强度,当Sn含量为1%时,镁合金在室温和175 ℃时抗拉强度达到最大值,分别为242和192 MPa,合全的拉伸断口为具有塑性特征的准解理断裂。 Sn的加入使合金的显微组织得到明显细化,并出现高熔点Mg2Sn合金相。合金力学性能的提高主要是由于细晶强化、弥散强化和固溶强化。     

Microstructure,tensile properties and compressive creep resistance of Mg-(5-8.5)%Sn-2%La alloys

The microstructure,tensile properties and compressive creep resistance of permanent-mould cast Mg-(5-8.5)%Sn-2%La (mass fraction) alloys were investigated.The results show that Mg-(5-8.5)%Sn-2%La alloys are all composed ofα-Mg phase, Mg_2Sn and Mg-La-Sn compounds.Compared with those of Mg-5%Sn binary alloy,the grain size and the content of Mg_2Sn compound in Mg-5%Sn-2%La alloy are decreased.With the increase of Sn content in Mg-(5-8.5)%Sn-2%La alloys,the content of Mg_2Sn compound increases,while that of...     

Fluidity,Microstructure, and Tensile Properties of Sub-rapidly Solidified Mg-6Al-4Zn-xSn(x=0,0.6,1.2,1.8) Alloy

In this paper, the infl uence of the Sn element on the melt viscosity, grain size, shrinkage, and tensile properties of the subrapidly solidified Mg-6Al-4Zn alloy was studied. The results showed that the melt viscosity of the Mg-6Al-4Zn alloy was greatly decreased because of the addition of Sn. As the content of Sn increased from 0 to 1.8 wt.%, the grain size of the alloy was refined, and the dendrite microstructure was changed to rose-shaped ones simultaneously. The decreased melt viscosity and refined microstructure were conductive to the feeding of melt, which contributed to the reduction in volume fraction of shrinkage. The volume fraction of shrinkage of the Mg-6Al-4Zn-1.2 Sn alloy was reduced by 30.8%, compared with that of the alloy without Sn addition. Tensile properties of the Mg-6Al-4Zn-x Sn alloys were increased firstly and then decreased with the augmented Sn content. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation of the alloy containing 1.2 wt.% Sn were 21.4%, 39.5%, and 259.0% higher than those of the alloy without Sn addition, respectively. The addition of Sn was considered to reduce the shrinkage of the sub-rapidly solidified Mg-6Al-4Zn magnesium alloy and thus improved its tensile properties. To identify the mechanism, the effect of Sn on the volume fraction of shrinkage was discussed from three aspects of melt viscosity, grain refinement, and volume fraction of eutectic phases.     

铸态Mg-Sn-Si-Sr合金的显微组织与力学性能

采用X射线衍射仪(XRD)、扫描电镜(SEM)和光学显微镜(OM)分别研究Mg-5Sn-xSi-0.5Sr(x=1,2)和Mg-5Sn-ySi-2Sr(y=1,2)合金的相组成和显微组织,采用力学性能试验机测定合金的拉伸性能。结果表明:Mg-Sn-Si-Sr系合金组织由α-Mg、MgSnSr、Mg2Sn、Mg2Si相所组成。Mg2Si相含量随Si元素的增加而增加,加入Sr元素会促进MgSnSr相的形成,抑制相界上Mg2Sn相的析出。Sn和Sr均能够细化Mg2Si相。当Sr含量由0.5%提高到2%(质量分数)后Mg2Si和Mg2Sn相均能得到显著细化,从而显著提高合金的抗拉强度与屈服强度。