Microstructure and mechanical properties of an Al-Mg alloy solidified under high pressures

Phase formation, the microstructure and its evolution, and the mechanical properties of an Al-42.2 at.% Mg alloy solidified under high pressures were investigated. After solidification at pressures of 1 GPa and 2 GPa, the main phase is the γ phase, richer in Al than in equilibrium condition. When the pressure is further increased to 3 GPa, the main phase is the supersaturated Al(Mg) solid solution with Mg solubility up to 41.6 at.%. Unlike in similar alloys solidified at ambient pressure, the β phase does not appear. Calculated high-pressure phase diagrams of the Al-Mg system show that although the stability range of the β phase is diminished with pressure, it is still thermodynamically stable at room temperature. Hence, the disappearance of the β phase is interpreted as kinetic suppression, due to the slow diffusion rate at high pressures, which inhibits solid-solid reactions. The Al-42.2 at.% Mg alloy solidified under 3 GPa has remarkably enhanced ultimate tensile strength compared to the alloy solidified under normal atmospheric pressure.