Grain refinement of Mg-Al alloys inoculated by MgAl_(2)O_(4)powder

As a potent nucleating substrate forα-Mg grain,MgAl_(2)O_(4) powder was used to inoculate the Mg-Al melt in this study.The effects of MgAl_(2)O_(4)amount,holding time and Al content on the grain size and grain refining ratio of the inoculated Mg-Al alloys are systematically investigated.The results show that the minimum grain size of Mg-3Al alloy is achieved by adding 2wt.%MgAl_(2)O_(4)powder and this alloy exhibits higher grain refining ratio than Mg-5Al and Mg-8Al alloys.The crystallographic misfit calculation indicates the wellmatching and possible orientation relationships(ORs)betweenα-Mg and MgAl_(2)O_(4).Among these predicted ORs,[10–10]α−Mg//[110]MgAl2O4 in(0002)α−Mg//(1–13)MgAl2O4 possesses the smallest misfit,i.e.,2.34%(fr).Both results of the experiment and crystallographic calculation demonstrate that the grain refinement of Mg-Al alloys is attributed to the MgAl_(2)O_(4)particles acting as the heterogeneous nucleation substrates forα-Mg grains.

Effect of Rare Earths on Hot Cracking Resistant Property of Mg-Al Alloys

The effect of rare earths （RE） ranging from 0.1% to 1.2%（mass fraction） on hot cracking resistant property of Mg-Al alloys was investigated. The results show that hot cracking resistant property of Mg-Al alloys remarkably declines with an increase of RE addition. The causes of the decline are as follows： First, grain coarsening of Mg-Al alloys caused by RE addition reduces the fracture strain required for hot crack initiation. Second, RE reduces the eutectic microstructure of Mg- Al alloys, and as a result, shortens the time that the feeding channel remains open, making it difficult to feed the alloy. Furthermore, RE elevates the eutectic reaction temperature, which leads to the decrease in the strength of the interdendritic liquid film at the late stage of solidification. Third, when a-Mg dendrites form continuous skeletons, the interdendritic Al11 RE3 phase tends to block the feeding channels and increases the difficulty of feeding. Last, the shrinkage ratio discrepancy between Al11RE3 phases and α-Mg matrix is prone to cause shrinkage stress and promote hot crack initiation.

Grain Coarsening Behavior of Mg-Al Alloys with Mischmetal Addition

Small addition of mischmetal （MM） into aluminum alloys can lead to grain refinement. However, it is still uncertain whether the same effect applies to Mg-Al alloys. This work indicated that small amount of mischmetal addition ranging from 0.1% to 1.2% （mass fraction） did not cause grain refinement in Mg-Al alloys. On the contrary, they tended to coarsen the grains. When added into Mg-Al alloys, MM reacted preferentially with Al to form Al11 MM3 phase. As Al11 MM3 phase mainly distributed within α-Mg grains than at grain boundaries, it had little effect in restricting grain growth. In addition, MM reacted with Al8（Mn, Fe）5 or ε-AlMn particles to form Al-MM-Mn compounds, thus it reduced the amount of heterogeneous nuclei in the melt and resulted in remarkable grain coarsening.

Microstructure analyses and phase-field simulation of partially divorced eutectic solidification in hypoeutectic Mg-Al Alloys

In this study the partially divorced eutectic microstructure ofα-Mg andβ-Mg17Al12was investigated by electron backscatter diffraction,transmission electron microscopy,and phase-field modeling in hypoeutectic Mg-Al alloys.The orientation relationships between the individual eutecticαgrains,eutecticβphase,and primaryαgrains were investigated.While the amount of eutectic morphology is primarily determined by the Al content,the in-depth microstructure analyses and the phase-field simulation suggest non-interactive nucleation and growth of eutecticαphase in theβphase grown on the interdendritic primaryαdendrites.Also,phase-field simulations showed a preferred nucleation sequence where theβphase nucleates first and subsequently triggers the nucleation of eutecticαphase at the movingβphase solidification front,which supports the microstructural analysis results.

Revealing the nucleation event of Mg-Al alloy induced by Fe impurity

This study revealed the nucleation event and grain refinement mechanism of Mg-Al alloy induced by Fe impurity.The following orientation relationship was observed between Al-Fe particle andα-Mg matrix in the Mg-3Al alloy containing Fe impurity using a focused ion beam aided transmission electron microscope technique:(1^(-)011)[011^(-)1]_(Mg)//(011^(-))[011]_(Al_(2)Fe).Mg-3Al alloy was inoculated by adding 0.02wt%Fe to verify the nucleating potency of the Al_(2)Fe phase forα-Mg grain.The results indicated that Mg-3Al alloy was effectively refined with an average grain size declining from 1135 to 540μm.Among the potential Al-Fe phases of Mg-3Al-0.02Fe alloy,only the precipitation of the Al_(2)Fe phase occurs earlier than that ofα-Mg grain,and the Al_(2)Fe phase is stable in the nucleation stage ofα-Mg grain.Therefore,the Al_(2)Fe particle is the only available nucleating site for Mg-Al alloy with Fe impurity.The heterogeneous nucleation event ofα-Mg grain on the Al_(2)Fe particle is responsible for the grain refinement of Mg-3Al alloy inoculated by Fe.

Nonisothermal dissolution kinetics on Mg17Al12 intermetallic in Mg-Al alloys

In this work,nonisothermal dissolution of intermetallic Mg_(17)Al_(12) in Mg-Al alloy has been firstly studied via Differential Scanning Calorimetry-DSC,X-Ray Diffraction-XRD and Scanning Electron Microscope-SEM as well as CALPHAD_based dissolution models and molecular dynamics simulation.The size and volume fraction of Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase could be predicted via the present kinetic dissolution model and agree well with experimental results.Also,the data-driven screening calculation shows that there is a range of temperature for significantly dissolving Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase,which could be increased with the increase of heating rate.The evolution of structural order for Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase has also been performed via molecular dynamics simulation with LAMMPS.The simulated results indicate that the structural order of Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase during heating is mainly affected by the Al-contained atomic pairs(Al-Al and Al-Mg),suggested that Mg atoms are thermodynamically and kinetically more active than Al atoms in Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase during heating,which has also been approved via the calculated atomic mobility of Mg and Al atoms in Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase in this work.Therefore,the atomic mobility of Mg atoms is mainly attributed to the interdiffusion coefficient of Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase which determines the dissolution of Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase during heating.The fundamental principle in this work could be used for other intermetallics and offers the greatly valuable information for optimizing the thermal processing in application of metal structural materials.

Study on the electrochemical behavior of Mg and Al ions in LiCl-KCl melt and preparation of Mg-Al alloy

The electrochemical behavior of Mg^(2+)and Al^(3+)in LiCl-KCl(mass 4:1)melt at 973 K was studied on a Mo electrode systematically by cyclic voltammetry,square wave voltammetry and chronopotentiometry.The results showed that the reductions of Mg^(2+)and Al^(3+)were reversible processes controlled by the rate of the mass transfer.When Mg^(2+)and Al^(3+)coexisted in LiCl-KCl melt,they had no significant effect on the reduction potential of each other.The equilibrium potentials of Mg^(2+)/Mg and Al^(3+)/Al were obtained by open circuit potential method.Their apparent standard potentials were also calculated in this system and the values were-2.52 V vs Cl_(2)/Cl^(−),-1.66 V vs Cl_(2)/Cl^(−),respectively.Correspondingly,the apparent Gibbs free energies of Mg^(2+)/Mg and Al^(3+)/Al were-485.71 kJ/mol^(-1),-480.78 kJ/mol^(-1).Finally,potentiostatic electrolysis was performed on a Mo electrode in LiCl-KCl-MgCl_(2)-AlCl_(3)(the mass ratio of MgCl_(2) to AlCl_(3) was 10:1)melt at different potentials.The components of the deposits were characterized by scanning electron microscope and energy dispersive spectroscopy.The study revealed that the content of Al in the deposit decreased as the overpotential increased and Al tended to segregate at the grain boundaries.

Grain refinement of Mg-Al alloys by optimization of process parameters based on three-dimensional finite element modeling of roll casting

To study the influence of roll casting process parameters on temperature and thermal-stress fields for the AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets,three-dimensional geometric and 3D finite element models for roll casting were established based on the symmetry of roll casting by ANSYS software.Meshing method and smart-sizing algorithm were used to divide finite element mesh in ANSYS software.A series of researches on the temperature and stress distributions during solidification process with different process parameters were done by 3D finite element method.The temperatures of both the liquid-solid two-phase zone and liquid phase zone were elevated with increasing pouring temperature.With the heat transfer coefficient increasing,the two-phase region for liquid-solid becomes smaller.With the pouring temperature increasing and the increase of casting speed,the length of two-phase zone rises.The optimized of process parameters（casting speed 2 m/min,pouring temperature 640 ℃ and heat transfer coefficient 15 kW/（m2·℃） with the water pouring at roller exit was used to produce magnesium alloy AZ31 sheet,and equiaxed grains with the average grain size of 50 μm were achieved after roll casting.The simulation results give better understanding of the temperature variation in phase transformation zone and the formation mechanism of hot cracks in plates during roll casting and help to design the optimized process parameters of roll casting for Mg alloy.

Friction and Wear Characteristics of Mg-Al Alloy Containing Rare Earths

The influence of rare earth on the friction and wear characteristics of magnesium alloy AZ91 and AM60 were studied. The results show that the wear resistance properties of rare earth magnesium alloys are better than those of matrix alloy under the testing conditions. The anti wear behaviour of AZ91 alloy is much better than that of AM60 alloy. In dry sliding process,magnesium alloys undergo a transition from mild wear to severe wear. The addition of rare earths refine the structure of alloys, improve the comprehensive behaviors of magnesium alloys, increase the stability of oxidation films on worn surfaces, enhance the loading ability of rare earth magnesium alloys, and delay the transition from mild wear to severe wear effectively.

Influence of CO_2 laser welding parameters on the microstructure, metallurgy, and mechanical properties of Mg-Al alloys

This study investigated the microstructural characteristics, metallurgy, microhardness, and tensile strength of AZ31 and AZ61 magnesium alloy weldments, fabricated in a CO2 laser welding process with the adjustment of various parameters. The results show that the AZ31 weldment contains equiaxed grains within the fusion zone （FZ）. By contrast, the FZ of the AZ61 weldment contains refined cellular grains and the partially melted zone （PMZ） contains bulk grains. We infer that the difference in aluminum content between the two magne-sium alloys results in different supercooling rates and solid grain structures. For both weldments, the ultimate tensile strength （UTS） de-creases following the CO2 laser welding process. However, no significant difference is noted between the UTS of the two weldments, sug-gesting that tensile strength is insensitive to the Al content of the magnesium alloy. The CO2 laser welding process is shown to increase the microhardness of both magnesium alloys. Furthermore, grain refinement is responsible for the maximum hardness in the FZ of both weld-ments. The AZ61 weldment has a higher content of Al, resulting in a greater grain refinement.

Grain refinement and mechanism of CAl_(0.5)W_(0.5) compound in Mg-Al alloys

The effect of CAl0.5W0.5（CAW） compound on the grain refinement of Mg-Al based alloys was investigated.The results show that CAW compound is an effective and active grain refiner.The grain size of binary Mg-Al alloys is more than 500 μm,and it is changed to about 110 μm with a 1 wt.% CAW addition.The hardness increased with the decease of grain size monotonously.The mechanical properties are improved by the addition.The fine grain size is mainly ascribed to the dispersed Al2CO particles,which are very potent nucleating substrates for Mg-Al alloys.The nucleation cores formed by chemical reaction directly are well-distributed in the matrix.

Application and development of pare earth elements of ISavan Obo ore in Mg-Al alloys

Bayan Obo rare earth resource is an important strategic resource in China.According to the published data,the content of oxidized ore is 8.12%REO in Bayan Obo raw ore,which includes 0.04%yttrium oxide,2.08%lanthanum oxide,4.09%cerium oxide;the content of REO in magnetite is 6.26%,which includes 0.03%yttrium oxide,1.57%lanthanum oxide and 3.14%cerium oxide.The balance and industrial application of three kinds of abundant rare earths lanthanum(La),cerium(Ce)and yttrium(Y)are the urgent problems to be solved in the development of rare earth industry.In this paper,it discusses the application potential and future development direction of lanthanum,cerium and yttrium in magnesium-aluminum light alloys basing on the development demand of current technology and the application demand of market.

Effect of mischmetal and yttrium on microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg-Al alloy

The effect of yttrium and mischmetal(MMs) on the as-cast and solid solution treated structures of Mg-Al alloys with different Al-contents was investigated. The results show that the MMs in Mg-Al alloy existed in rod Al 4(Ce, La)compound while Y in Mg-Al alloy in polygonal Al 2Y compound. The amount of Mg 17Al 12 in Mg-Al alloy is decreased with increasing Y or MMs addition, and Mg 17Al 12 intermetallic compound is changed from continuous network to discontinuous one. The Al 4(Ce, La) and Al 2Y compounds are not dissolved into Mg-Al alloy matrix during solid solution treatment so that their high heat stability can be exhibited. The experiment of mechanical properties indicate that elongation and impact toughness of the Mg-Al-Y alloy with polygonal Al 2Y compound are higher than those of Mg-Al-MMs alloy with rod Al 4(Ce, La) compound.

Surface characteristics of chemical conversion coating for Mg-Al alloy

The chemical conversion coating was formed on Mg alloy for low cost and harmlessness in environment by using the colloidal silica as the main component.The film formed at 298 K was thick,which was thought to be the combination of Si and O.In salt spray test,the ratio of black rust on the specimen that did not conducted chemical conversion treatment was five times or more than those of the chemical conversion treated specimen.The film of chemical conversion coating produced by alkali treatment process was thinner than the specimen produced in basic chemical conversion treatment solution.

Enhancing the anti-corrosion performance and biocompatibility of AZ91D Mg alloy by applying roughness pretreatment and coating with in-situ Mg(OH)_(2)/Mg-Al LDH

Corrosion-resistant and biocompatible films were fabricated on AZ91D Mg alloy substrates by varying their roughness levels using met-allographic preparation and subsequent hydrothermal procedures.The coated films comprised a mixed structure of Mg(OH)_(2)and Mg-Al layered double hydroxides(LDH)and exhibited excellent compactness.Coating film thickness increased with decreasing surface roughness.Corrosion resistance was evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.Metallographic pretreat-ment influenced the chemical activity of the Mg alloy surface and helped modulate the dissolution rate of the Mg_(17)Al_(12)phase during the hydrothermal procedure.With decreasing roughness of the Mg substrate,the Al^(3+)concentration gradually increased,accelerating the in-situ formation of the Mg(OH)_(2)/LDH composite coating and improving its crystallinity.A thick and dense Mg(OH)_(2)/LDH coating was synthesized on the Mg substrate with the least roughness,substantially improving the corrosion resistance of the AZ91D alloy.The lowest corrosion current density((5.73±2.75)×10^(−8)A·cm^(−2))was achieved,which was approximately three orders of magnitude less than that of bare AZ91D.Moreover,the coating demonstrated biocompatibility with no evident cytotoxicity,cellular damage,and hemolytic phenomena.This study provides an effective method for preparing coatings on Mg alloy surfaces with excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility.

Progress and prospects in Mg-alloy super-sized high pressure die casting for automotive structural components

Since the introduction of Tesla's Giga-Casting process, the automotive industry has widely accepted the concept of super-sized structural components due to their significant potential for enhancing the light-weighting of both electric and internal combustion engine vehicles.These super-sized components can be further lightened by using Mg alloys because of their exceptional lightweight characteristics, with a density only two-thirds that of aluminium alloys and one-fourth that of steel. This outstanding attribute offers the attractive prospect of achieving significant weight reduction without compromising structural integrity. This review examines studies on the Mg-alloy HighPressure Die Casting(HPDC) process, providing insights into the future prospects of incorporating Mg alloys into super-sized automotive HPDC components.

Self-repairing functionality and corrosion resistance of in-situ Mg-Al LDH film on Al-alloyed AZ31 surface

A novel Mg-Al LDH film was in-situ prepared hydrothermally in an alkaline aqueous solution on an Al-alloyed AZ31 substrate.The structural,chemical and functional characteristics of the film were explored by means of scanning electron microscope(SEM),X-ray diffraction(XRD),energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS),polarization curve,AC impedance and salt immersion tests,respectively.The anti-corrosion results indicated that the Mg-Al LDH film on the Al-alloyed AZ31 surface could effectively protect the AZ31 from corrosion attack even after 90 days of immersion in 3.5 wt.%NaCl solution.The protection performance is surprisingly better than most of the reported coatings on Mg alloys.More interestingly,when the Mg-Al LDH film was scratched,the exposed Al-alloyed surface might gradually release metal ions and re-generate dense LDH nano-sheets in the corrosive environment to inhibit the further corrosion there,exhibiting a self-repairing behavior.The combination of the benign long-term protection and desirable self-repairing performance in this new process of surface-alloying and LDH-formation may significantly extend the practical application of magnesium alloys.

First principles investigation of binary intermetallics in Mg-Al-Ca-Sn alloy:Stability,electronic structures,elastic properties and thermodynamic properties

The structural stability, electronic structures, elastic properties and thermodynamic properties of the main binary phases Mg_（17）Al_（12）, Al_2Ca, Mg_2 Sn and Mg_2 Ca in Mg-Al-Ca-Sn alloy were determined from the first-principles calculation. The calculated lattice parameters are in good agreement with the experimental and literature values. The calculated heats of formation and cohesive energies show that Al_2Ca has the strongest alloying ability and structural stability. The densities of states（DOS）, Mulliken electron occupation number, metallicity and charge density difference of these compounds are given. The elastic constants of Mg_（17）Al_（12）, Al_2Ca, Mg_2 Sn and Mg_2 Ca phases are calculated, and the bulk moduli, shear moduli, elastic moduli and Poisson ratio are derived. The calculations of thermodynamic properties show that the Gibbs free energies of Al_2Ca and Mg_2 Sn are lower than that of Mg_（17）Al_（12）, which indicates that Al_2Ca and Mg_2 Sn are more stable than Mg_（17）Al_（12） phase. Hence, the heat resistance of Mg-Al-based alloys can be improved by adding Ca and Sn additions.

Corrosion resistance of Mg-Al-LDH steam coating on AZ80 Mg alloy:Effects of citric acid pretreatment and intermetallic compounds

In this study,the effects of intermetallic compounds(Mg_(17)Al_(12)and Al_(8)Mn_(5))on the Mg-Al layered double hydroxide(LDH)formation mechanism and corrosion behavior of an in-situ LDH/Mg(OH)_(2)steam coatings on AZ80 Mg alloy were investigated.Citric acid(CA)was used to activate the alloy surface during the pretreatment process.The alloy was first pretreated with CA and then subjected to a hydrothermal process using ultrapure water to produce Mg-Al-LDH/Mg(OH)_(2)steam coating.The effect of different time of acid pretreatment on the activation of the intermetallic compounds was investigated.The microstructure and elemental composition of the obtained coatings were analyzed using FE-SEM,EDS,XRD and FT-IR.The corrosion resistance of the coated samples was evaluated using different techniques,i.e.,potentiodynamic polarization(PDP),electrochemical impedance spectrum(EIS)and hydrogen evolution test.The results indicated that the CA pretreatment significantly influenced the activity of the alloy surface by exposing the intermetallic compounds.The surface area fraction of Mg_(17)Al_(12)and Al_(8)Mn_(5)phases on the surface of the alloy was significantly higher after the CA pretreatment,and thus promoted the growth of the subsequent Mg-Al-LDH coatings.The CA pretreatment for 30 s resulted in a denser and thicker LDH coating.Increase in the CA pretreatment time significantly led to the improvement in corrosion resistance of the coated AZ80 alloy.The corrosion current density of the coated alloy was lower by three orders of magnitude as compared to the uncoated alloy.

Accelerated design of high-performance Mg-Mn-based magnesium alloys based on novel bayesian optimization

Magnesium(Mg),being the lightest structural metal,holds immense potential for widespread applications in various fields.The development of high-performance and cost-effective Mg alloys is crucial to further advancing their commercial utilization.With the rapid advancement of machine learning(ML)technology in recent years,the“data-driven''approach for alloy design has provided new perspectives and opportunities for enhancing the performance of Mg alloys.This paper introduces a novel regression-based Bayesian optimization active learning model(RBOALM)for the development of high-performance Mg-Mn-based wrought alloys.RBOALM employs active learning to automatically explore optimal alloy compositions and process parameters within predefined ranges,facilitating the discovery of superior alloy combinations.This model further integrates pre-established regression models as surrogate functions in Bayesian optimization,significantly enhancing the precision of the design process.Leveraging RBOALM,several new high-performance alloys have been successfully designed and prepared.Notably,after mechanical property testing of the designed alloys,the Mg-2.1Zn-2.0Mn-0.5Sn-0.1Ca alloy demonstrates exceptional mechanical properties,including an ultimate tensile strength of 406 MPa,a yield strength of 287 MPa,and a 23%fracture elongation.Furthermore,the Mg-2.7Mn-0.5Al-0.1Ca alloy exhibits an ultimate tensile strength of 211 MPa,coupled with a remarkable 41%fracture elongation.