Materials Science Forum, Vol.449-4, 641-644, 2004
Effect of Sb addition on the creep property of AZ31 alloy
The effects of antimony addition on the microstructures and creep behavior of AZ31 have been studied. Constant load creep tests were carried out at 200degreesC and an initial stress of 50MPa for AZ31 alloys containing antimony up to 0.84% by weight. Results show that Small additions of antimony to AZ31 effectively decreased the creep extension and steady state creep rates. The steady state creep rate of AZ31 was reduced 2.5 times by the addition of 0.84% of antimony by weight. The main reason for the higher creep resistance is due to the presence of high volume fraction (similar to20%) of second phases including Mg3Sb2, which effectively hindered the movement of dislocations during the elevated temperature creep.