Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure and Creep Behavior of Mg-Sn-Ca Alloys

The development of new Mg-Sn based alloys that have shown improved corrosion resistance needs further investigations to develop standard alloys for industrial use. In the present study, the influence of heat treatment was investigated by examining the creep resistance of Mg-Sn and Mg-Sn-Ca alloys at 85 MPa under 135 °C identify the best conditions to improve the mechanical properties of such alloys. Additionally, the changes in microstructure of these alloys were studied and analysed by light microscopy, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. It was found that the heat treatments can affect the microstructure of the binary alloy while no apparent change in the microstructure was found in the Mg-Sn-Ca alloys, indicating that the second phase CaMgSn is thermal stable in this alloy. Based on the obtained results, the relationship between the microstructure and creep behaviour are discussed.