Thermal and electrical conductivity of as-cast Mg-4Y-xZn alloys

Abstract

In this study, the effects of the addition of Zn on the microstructures, thermal and electrical conductivity of as–cast Mg–4Y–xZn (x = 1, 2, 3, and 4 wt%) alloys were investigated. Results reveal that with the increase of Zn content, the second–phase transformation from the X phase to the W phase occurs. Except for the WZ43 alloy, the amount of solute atoms in the α–Mg matrix decreases with the increase of Zn, leading to the decreased lattice distortion and increased thermal conductivity. Therefore, the obtained highest electrical and thermal conductivity of the WZ44 alloy are 13.73 S m−1 and 95.61 W · m−1· K−1, respectively. The correlation between the electrical conductivity and the thermal conductivity was characterized by the equation λ = 0.890L0Tσ + 6.96 on the basis of the Smith–Palmer equation.