Effect of Cu Addition on Thermal Properties of Mg-6Zn-xCu alloys

Abstract

In this study, Mg-Zn alloys are investigated in terms of their thermal properties after an addition of Cu. Al element is added to improve the mechanical properties and castability in general case. However, it was excluded here because it significantly decreases the thermal conductivity. On the other hand, Zn was added as a major element, which had less influence on reducing the conductivity and can complement the mechanical properties as well. Cu was also added, and it improved the heat transfer characteristics as the amount was increased. The composition ranges of Zn and Cu are 6 wt.% and 0~1.5 wt.%, respectively. Mg-6Zn-xCu alloy was prepared by a gravity casting method using a steel mold and then the thermal conductivity and the microstructure of the as-cast material were investigated. By measuring the density_(), specific heat_(Cp) and thermal diffusivity_(), the thermal conductivity_() was calculated by the equation . As the amount of Cu increased in the Mg-6Zn-xCu alloy, the heat transfer characteristics were improved, resulting in a synergistic effect which is slow when the added Cu exceeds 1 wt.%. In order to investigate the relative thermal conductivity/emission of the Mg-6Zn-xCu alloy, AZ91 and AZ31 were experimentally evaluated and compared using a separate test equipment. As a result, the Mg-6Zn-1.5Cu alloy when compared to AZ91 showed improvements in the thermal conductivity ranging from 30 to 60% with a nearly 20% improvement in the thermal emission.