Effect of Mg on healing of bifilm defects in Zn4Al melt

ABSTRACT

This research explores how the presence of 0.1 wt% Mg in Zn4Al liquid alloy affects the healing of bifilm defects. Two bars in contact with each other and the atmosphere trapped between them were placed in a furnace for different times. The resulting oxide layers on the bars were then analysed using SEM, EDS, and XRD. The presence of 0.1 wt% Mg in the Zn4Al liquid caused the oxide layers to bond. The bonding started from an early stage of 8 min holding (when they were still in solid state) and continued to increase to about 30 min holding time. The bonding was attributed to the presence of Mg in the Zn4Al liquid metal, which caused the trapped atmosphere between the layers to be consumed quickly. The transformations from Al₂O₃ to ZnAl₂O₄ and ZnAl₂O₄ to MgAl₂O₄ provided potential mechanisms for the formation of bonding between the oxide layers.

KEYWORDS:

• Zn4Al
• Zamak 3
• bifilm
• double oxide film
• healing

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).