Effect of microstructure on mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-Al alloys

The mechanical properties of Mg-Al alloys are mainly determined by the microstructure, i.e., the amount and morphology of the phases, but also by the presence of defects arising from the melt handling and casting process. In order to obtain information about the isolated effect of the microstructure, it is, therefore, necessary to minimize the amounts of defects. In this study, this has been achieved by remelting and solidifying the alloys in a gradient furnace. The drawing rate was varied from 0.3 to 6 mm/s, which yielded a wide variety of microstructures. Three samples were produced for each parameter set, in order to have a statistical basis for the evaluation. The results showed that homogeneous and reproducible samples could be produced, and that the tensile properties obtained showed a very small scatter. The effects of microstructural parameters such as grain size, secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS), eutectic fraction, and eutectic morphology on the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength (UTS), fracture elongation, and hardness has been investigated.