Improved bending fatigue and corrosion properties of a Mg–Al–Mn alloy by super vacuum die casting

This paper shows significantly improved mechanical properties (∼64% higher bending fatigue strength) and corrosion resistance (39–62% lower corrosion rate) in a Mg–6Al–0.3Mn alloy (AM60B) produced by a new super vacuum die casting (SVDC) process compared with the conventional high-pressure die casting (HPDC). The SVDC samples exhibited a skin layer which contained 6–12% more eutectic phase and was ∼14% harder than those of the HPDC material, due to faster cooling rates in the SVDC process resulting from better die–metal contact.