Effect of Cu addition on the microstructure, mechanical properties and thermal properties of Mg-Al-Ca-Mn alloy

In this paper, Mg-Al-Ca-Mn-Cu magnesium alloys by Cu alloying were studied with the aim of developing Mg alloys with higher heat conduction. As a result, the mechanical properties and thermal conductivity of the alloys was evaluated simultaneously, owing to the addition of Cu, which meets the requirements of the project to develop high-strength and high-conductivity magnesium alloy. Compared with the commercial AZ31 magnesium alloy, the strength and plasticity are improved by means of fine grain strengthening. Meanwhile, the amount of solid solution atoms in the alloy decreases, and the content of the second phase particles increases, which reduces the degree of lattice distortion. On the other hand, the Cu element provides a large amount of free electron for heat transfer, which makes the alloys have a high thermal conductivity.