Effect of Ce addition on hot tearing behavior of AZ91 alloy

A small amount of cerium (below 1.0 wt%) addition to AZ91 alloy have been investigated on the hot tearing susceptibility (HTS) at a cooling rate of 1.5Ks^?1. The HTS increased to a maximum value with a cerium addition of 0.6 wt% and then decreased to a stable status as cerium was gradually added. Due to high chemical activity, cerium into the melts can react with aluminum to form an Al₁₁Ce₃ intermetallic compound. X–ray diffraction results also confirmed the existence of Al₁₁Ce₃. The Al₁₁Ce₃ increased with the presence of the needle-like and block morphology. As cerium levels increased, the amount of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ decreased. The variations between Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and Al₁₁Ce₃ resulted in a similar normal distribution of the HTS in AZ91 alloy. The findings were further verified through the microstructure evolution and the surface morphology of fracture.