Die Cast Magnesium Alloys for High Temperature Applications

The development of creep resistant alloys for automotive drive train components has proven to be metallurgically challenging. This paper discusses the principles of high temperature alloy development, featuring metallurgical, microstructural and processing aspects of some alloys, relative to their high temperature performance. The creep resistant alloys within the Mg-Al base system obtain their creep resistance by a relatively low content of Al, and addition of elements that form stable intermetallic phases within the grain mantle. Various third elements affect the high temperature performance differently. The results demonstrate that rare earth elements (RE) show a remarkable potential as the third element(s).