Microstructure and Tensile Properties of Mg-5Zn Alloy Containing Ca

The present study aimed at investigating the effect of Ca (0-3 wt%) on the microstructure and tensile properties of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-Zn alloy, in which tensile tests, X-ray diffraction, SEM, EDX and texture analysis were used to evaluate these features. Based on the results obtained, it is shown that the average grain size decreased from 305 to 84 mu m by adding 3 wt% Ca to the as-cast Mg-Zn alloy. XRD and SEM results reveal that the dominant second phase in the presence of Ca is Ca2Mg6Zn3 which is formed continuously between dendrite arms spacing. It has been observed that the addition of 0.1 wt% Ca, significantly enhanced both UTS and elongation of as-cast alloy. It is found that the size of DRXed grains decreases with the increase of Ca (4 mu m with 3 wt% Ca addition) after hot-extrusion. Further, it has been observed that Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation values of extruded alloys containing Ca are enhanced and the best result is obtained for Mg-5Zn-0.1Ca sample. Ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 351 MPa and elongation percentage of 24% are obtained for Mg-5Zn-0.1Ca extruded alloy.

Automated summary

The study found that adding 0.1 wt% Ca significantly enhanced the ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the as-cast alloy. The size of DRXed grains decreased with the increase of Ca, and the best result was obtained for the Mg-5Zn-0.1Ca sample, with an ultimate tensile strength of 351 MPa and an elongation percentage of 24% for the extruded alloy.