Microstructural characterization of the Mg–Al alloy AM50 produced by a newly developed rheo-casting process

The microstructure of rheo-cast Mg-Al alloy AM50 produced by the RheoMetal process is investigated and compared with the same alloy produced by conventional high pressure die casting. The size and arrangement of microstructural constituents and pores are characterized quantitatively using image analyzing techniques. The nearest neighbor distribution of the intermetallic particles is determined. The area fraction of porosity in rheo-cast AM50 is about half that found in the high pressure die cast alloy. In rheo-cast material, the distribution of β phase (Mg17Al12) is relatively uniform throughout the cast. In contrast, the β phase particles tend to form macroscopic agglomerates in high pressure die cast material. The externally solidified grains in the rheo-cast material exhibit a smaller aluminum gradient than in the high pressure die cast alloy. This indicates that the solidification of the rheo-cast material is closer to equilibrium.