The application in the automotive industry of the as-cast AM50 alloy (Mg-5.0 wt.%%Al-0.3 wt.%Mn) has been limited by its low creep resistance at elevated temperatures. Permanent mold cast (PM) Mg-Al-Ca alloys with calcium additions (0 ∼ 2.0 wt.%) were investigated in this study due to their potential for improving the high temperature creep strength.;The microstructures of the die cast (DC) or PM AM50 alloys consisted of an intergranular beta-Mg17Al12 phase surrounded by a region of Al-rich eutectic alpha-Mg phase, sometimes with attached Al8Mn5 particles. In this study, significant grain refinement was observed in the PM Mg-Al-Ca alloys with Ca addition to the AM50 alloy. The grain refining effect was confirmed by quantitative image analysis through measurement of the secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS). The intergranular phases in Mg-Al-Ca alloys with 0.5 or 1.0 wt.% Ca were beta-Mg17Al 12 and (Al, Mg)2Ca phases. As the Ca addition was increased to 1.5 wt.% Ca, the (beta-Mg17Al12 phase was completely replaced by a (Al, Mg)2Ca phase.;Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results showed that the (Al, Mg)2Ca phase was thermally more stable than the beta-Mg 17Al12 phase, which contributed to the better creep strength of the Mg-Al-Ca alloys. The change in heating/cooling rates played an important role in the redistribution of alloying elements and the dissolution or precipitation of the eutectic phases in the as-cast Mg alloys during DSC runs.;The micro- and nano-scale hardness and composite modulus of the PM Mg-Al-Ca alloys increased with increasing Ca content, and the indentation size effect (ISE) was also observed in the as-cast Mg-Al and Mg-Al-Ca alloys. PM AC52 alloy (Mg-5.0wt.%Al-2.0wt.%Ca) was a much more creep resistant alloy than other Mg-Al-Ca alloys with lower Ca contents because of the higher solute content in the primary alpha-Mg in the as-cast state and also because of the presence of nano precipitates within the primary alpha-Mg. The size and volume fraction of the precipitates and the solute content within the primary alpha-Mg of the AC52 alloys were related to the different solidification rates, which directly influence the nano indentation creep strength of the alloys.
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