Microstructural stability of heat-resistant high-pressure die-cast Mg-4Al-4Ce alloy

The thermal stability of Al-RE(rare earth) intermetallic phases with individual REfor heat-resistant high-pressure die-casting Mg–Al–REalloys is investigated. The results of this study show that the main strengthening phase of Mg-4Al-4Ce alloy is Al11Ce3, whose content is about 5 wt.% according to quantitative X-ray diffraction phase analysis. The Al11Ce3phase appears to have high thermal stability at 200 °C and 300 °C, while phase morphology change with no phase structure transition could occur for Al11Ce3when the temperature reaches 400 °C. Furthermore, besides the kinds of rare earths and temperature, stress is also an influencing factor in the microstructural stability of Mg-4Al-4Ce alloy.