Characterization on the formation of porosity and tensile properties prediction in die casting Mg alloys

Abstract

The 3D visualization of the porosity in high-pressure die casting (HPDC) Mg alloys AZ91D and Mg4Ce2Al0.5Mn (EA42) was investigated by X-ray computed tomography. It was demonstrated that the volumetric porosity at the near-gate location for alloy EA42 was significantly higher than that far from the gate location. This difference resulted from the low valid time during intensified casting pressure conditions. Specimens of alloy EA42 exhibited a narrow pore distribution in the side view (∼0.5 mm) compared to the wide distribution (∼1.8 mm) of alloy AZ91D, which was mainly attributed to the formation mechanism of the defect band. The formation of microporosity in the defect band of alloy EA42 was inhibited because of the significant latent heat released by a large amount of the Al11Ce3 phase segregated in the defect band during solidification. Additionally, an effective estimator (Z-Propagation) was introduced, which is proposed to predict the projected area fraction of the porosity (f) involved during tensile failure with better effectiveness compared with traditional methods based on the actual fractured surface. By coupling the Z-Propagation method with the critical local strain model, the logarithmic fracture strain and true fracture stress of the specimens were predicted within 3.03% and 1.65% of the absolute value of the average relative error (AARE), respectively.

Keywords

• High-pressure die casting
• Porosity
• Tensile property
• Magnesium alloy
• X-ray computed tomography