G. Pettersen et al., MICROSTRUCTURE OF A PRESSURE DIE CAST MAGNESIUM-4WT.PERCENT ALUMINUM-ALLOY MODIFIED WITH RARE-EARTH ADDITIONS, Materials science & engineering. A, Structural materials: properties, microstructure and processing, 207(1), 1996, pp. 115-120
Addition of cerium-rich mixtures of rare earth (RE) elements to alumin
ium-containing magnesium pressure die cast alloys is known to improve
the creep properties at elevated temperatures. In the present investig
ation, a detailed description of the microstructure of a magnesium-4 w
t.%, aluminium alloy containing 1.4 wt.%, of a cerium-rich mixture of
RE elements is presented. Particle types occurring and their distribut
ion in the microstructure, as well as the distribution of elements in
solid solution, are described. Heat treatment is carried out to verify
if solid state precipitation occurs. Some qualitative arguments for t
he beneficial effect of RE elements on the creep properties are presen
ted.