Microstructures and Creep Behaviour of Mg-4Al Alloy Containing Sr and Ca

Microstructures and creep property of the Mg-4Al based alloy with addition of 2% Sr and 1%Ca were investigated. The as-cast microstructures of the present alloy consist of dendritic alpha-Mg and two major intermetallics: lamellar eutectic C14-Mg2Ca and bulky type Mg-Al-Sr ternary phase. These intermetallics mainly distribute along grain or cell boundaries and form an almost continuous network. The alloy studied shows an excellent creep resistance under the experimental conditions. This is primarily attributed to formation of the thermostable intermetallics with addition of Sr and Ca to Mg-Al based alloy. The values of stress exponent, n, and creep activation energy, Q, imply that both dislocaiton motion and grain boundary sliding contribute to the creep deformation.