Influence of aluminum content on machinability of AS series cast magnesium alloys

The influence of Al content on machinability of AS series cast Mg alloys was studied. The assessment of machinability of Mg alloys was performed by measuring the cutting forces and surface roughness. The microstructure and the tensile properties were also studied. The results reveal that cutting forces are increased with the increase of the Al content. Surface roughness and mechanical properties are the highest for AS91 Mg alloy. It is assumed that the main mechanism, which has an influence on the mechanical properties, is the presence of intermetallic phases (Mg2Si and Mg17Al12). Cutting forces increase with the increase of the cutting speed in machining of all Mg alloys. These measured data are in accordance with the mechanical properties of the machined alloys.