Pressurized solidification of magnesium alloy AM50A

Following the success in squeeze casting aluminum components in the automotive industry, squeeze casting of magnesium alloys is yet to be developed for further improvement on vehicles’ fuel economy. It is essential to have a scientific understanding of solidification phenomena taking place in squeeze casting of magnesium alloys for innovative product development and process control. This paper describes a systematic experimental investigation on solidification phenomena of magnesium alloy AM50A in squeeze casting. The results evidently indicate that an applied pressure leads to an increase in the liquidus temperature of the alloy. However, the pressurized solidification temperatures of AM50A theoretically calculated by the Clausius–Clapeyron equation deviate from the experimental measurements. The measured pressure results imply that local pressures, instead of the hydraulic applied pressures, should be considered during theoretical calculation.