The aluminium: magnesium: regards temperature and composition, are Figures I(b) and (c) illustrate these two zinc system reported for point I:1.4,5,11,19,21a quasi-possibilities. The information available binary eutectic Liq. -+ Al + MgZn 2 on solid-state structures',14,23 favours the and ternary eutectic Liq. -+ Al + MgZn2 reactions in Fig. I(b), which have been + Mg3Zn 3 AI 2 • The microstructure (Fig. listed in Table 1. The ternary eutectic 2) does not completely confirm this because reaction at L is well established. 1 ,3,lO.17,20 Mg3Zn3A12 is easily nucleated by im-The solidus lines in the aluminium purities and nucleates the aluminium, comer are shown in Fig. 3. Because of whereas MgZn 2 is not easily nucleated. the variety of sources,3.13,14,24the accuracy Thus, the ternary eutectic tends to split of the temperatures given is of the order of into the well-coupled quasi-binary AI: ± 10 degC. The phase distribution in the Mg3Zn3Al2 and the divorced AI: MgZn 2 . 22 solid state is illustrated in Fig. 4. 3 -9 . 11 ,14, Whether this structure is a true ternary 16-20,23,25Fink and Willey7 show the lines eutectic may be open to question. that represent the loci of the aluminium A peritectic reaction at J is reported by apices at different temperatures as straight most investigators 3,6,17,19, 20 with only lines running to the aluminium corner minor discrepancies as regards composi- (Fig. sea); Table II). Investigations of tion and temperature, but with a variety of age-hardening instead indicate that in phases and reactions. Another peritectic many alloys which, according to the diareaction at point K is reported only by gram, fall within the (AI + Mg2Zn3A12) those authors l7 ,20 who accept the existence field, MgZn2 is the precipitate formed.at of the aluminium: zinc compound, recently temperatures below 200 0 C (473 K). The resurrected. However, these authors dis-diagram in Fig. S(b), drawn to allow for a agree as to the reactions.shift of the equilibrium precipitate with temperature, indicates that at room tem-Nishimura and Murakami 17give:perature the AI(ss) contains no zinc but J. Liq. + AI-+ AIZn + MgZn 2 1·9% magnesium, which coincides with the solubility in the binary alloys. 26The phases that can be in equilibrium with aluminium are: Mg5AIs, Mg3Zn3A12' MgZn2, MgZn11' Zn, and AIZn. Alu-} 475 (748) lUq. -+ AI -+-MgZn2 + MgsZn~A12 J. Liq. + AI -+ MgZn2. + AIZn 378 (651) K. Liq. + MgZn2 -+ Mg2Zn" + AIZn 368 (641) L. Liq. 4-AIZn + Mg2Zn" + Zn 343 (616) M. AIZn -+ AI + Mg2Zn" + Zn 274 (547) Zn, wt.-% 20