Modeling the Effect of Magnesium Content on the Electrical Conductivity and Hardness of Technical Aluminum (1050) Alloy

Abstract

Aluminum alloys use is so profound in many applications such as transportation, construction, energy, defense applications, automotive, aerospace, to name a few. Therefore, investigating the mechanical and electrical properties of the different types for aluminum alloys is vital. The Al–Mg alloy is widely used in the automotive industry because of its optimal properties, for example, corrosion resistance, weldability, and strength-to-weight ratio. This study aims to investigate and model the effect of changing the magnesium percentage content on the hardness and electrical conductivity of Al–Mg alloy with a detailed statistical analysis to validate the results. The microstructure at each Mg percentile content is demonstrated using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and an optical microscope for validating the Mg content after solidification and tracking the grain size evolutions at different Mg percentiles. Vickers hardness testing is applied for hardness evaluation at each experimental condition. The electrical conductivity is tested using a PCE 20COM electric conductive non-destructive test (NDT). Prediction models are constructed to estimate the hardness and electrical conductivity as a function of Mg percentile by using a nonlinear optimizer. The results indicated that the hardness is significantly increased with increasing the Mg content by three times when comparing 0 Mg wt.% and 5 mg wt.%. In contrast, a 48% reduction in the electrical conductivity is found when Mg wt.% is increased to 5 and a notable decrease in the grain size is observed when the Mg content is increased.