Thermal and electrical conductivity of Mg–Zn–Al alloys

Abstract

In the present work, thermal and electrical conductivity measurement was conducted on the cast Mg-Zn-Al alloys (ZA alloys) in the wide composition range (1-6 wt-%Zn, 1-10 wt-%Al). For alloys with the same content of Zn, the thermal/electrical conductivity of ZA alloys decreased exponentially with Al composition without exception. For alloys with same Al content, variation of thermal/electrical conductivity showed a similar trend for most of the alloys except the case for 6 wt-%Al, which followed ZA26.ZA36.ZA16.ZA56.ZA66. The microstructures of the selected alloy systems were investigated in detail, and the mechanism of thermal/electrical conductivity variation was thus proposed. The phase transformation with composition and the different effects of Zn and Al on the thermal/electrical conductivity of Mg alloys were believed as two controlling factors.

Electrical and thermal conductivity in Mg–5Sn Alloy at different aging status

“…The phase transformation and the different effects of Zn and Al on the thermal/ electrical conductivity have also been studied by F.S. Pan et al [18]. It is well known that the conductivity of the aging-treated materials is better than that of as-cast and solution-treated materials.…”

“…The higher the thermal conductivity, the more effective the cooling is [11]. Some researchers have studied the thermal conductivity of as-cast and as-extruded Mg-based alloys [11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]. A.…”

Hardness and Conductivity of Die Forged ZYK530 Magnesium Alloy

“…The effect of solid solution atoms on the conductivity of alloys is the most severe, which is generally several orders of magnitude larger than other factors. Therefore, it is generally believed that the precipitation of solution atoms from the matrix can significantly improve the electrical conductivity of the alloy [9,19]. The effect of Zn and Y on the electrical conductivity of Mg-Zn-Y-Zr alloy mainly includes two aspects: 1.…”

“…Generally speaking, the finer the grains of the alloy, the greater the microhardness; the greater the hardness and quantity of the second phase in the alloy, and the greater the concentration of solid solution atoms in the metal matrix, the higher the microhardness corresponding to the alloy [9]. The grain size of untreated ZYK530 alloy is seriously uneven, which makes the hardness of the alloy cross section uneven, as shown in Fig.…”

“…Therefore, designing magnesium alloy with good conductivity, good heat resistance and good mechanical properties is the key technology to ensure the service life of high-power LED lamps. The corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity of heat-resistant magnesium alloy determine the ability of magnesium alloy to keep the parts working at a lower temperature during high-temperature service [9].…”