Influence of Strontium, Silicon and Calcium Additions on the Properties of the AM50 Alloy

Abstract

The increasing use of heat resistant magnesium alloys for automotive applications is expected to influence the chemical composition of upcoming post consumer scrap. Therefore it would be useful to define alloys that resemble the future composition of the material. For this purpose a matrix of potential recycling systems has been set up. AM50 was used as a base material to which decisive amounts of strontium, silicon and calcium were added. The basic heat resistant alloy systems AJ, AS, and AX have been investigated closely. This work deals with combinations of the three above mentioned elements. Some essential observations shall be presented concerning the development of the microstructure and its influence on the materials properties. For combined additions of strontium, silicon and calcium the formation of a new ternary phase has been observed. The compound has a positive influence on the fracture elongation and the corrosion rate in the salt spray test.