Journal of Alloys and Compounds 440 (2007) 122–126

The microstructure, tensile properties, and creep behavior of

as-cast Mg–(1–10)%Sn alloys
Hongmei Liu a,b , Yungui Chen a,∗ , Yongbai Tang a , Shanghai Wei a , Gao Niu a
a School of Materials Science and Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610065, China
b Taiyuan University of Technology, Taiyuan, Shanxi 030024, China

Received 31 July 2006; received in revised form 5 September 2006; accepted 6 September 2006
Available online 17 October 2006

Abstract
The microstructure, tensile properties, and creep behavior of Mg–(1–10)wt%Sn alloys were studied in this paper. The microstructure of as-
cast Mg–Sn alloys consisted of dendrite ␣-Mg and second Mg2 Sn phases and the secondary dendrite arm spacing (DAS) of the ␣-Mg phase
was decreased with the increase of tin content. The micro-hardness of the alloys increased when tin content rises, while the greatest tensile and
elongation were exhibited by Mg–5 wt%Sn. The indentation creep experiments were conducted at 150 ◦ C for applied loads of 30 kg, it suggested
that the indentation creep resistance of Mg–Sn alloys could be obviously improved with the increase of tin content, and Mg–10%Sn alloy had
better indentation creep resistance than that of AE42.
© 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Mg–Sn binary alloy; As-cast microstructure; Tensile properties; Indentation creep behavior

1. Introduction alloys. This paper focuses on the microstructure and mechan-

The interest in Mg–Sn based alloys started in the early 1930s
[1,2]. Recently there has been a renewed interest in these alloys,
which are believed to have potential for applications at elevated
temperatures [3–5]. According to the binary phase diagram [6],
the maximum solidification temperature range for Mg–Sn binary
alloys is about 67 ◦ C. It is much narrower than for Mg–Al and
Mg–Zn binary alloys, for which the values are 136 and 283 ◦ C,
respectively. As a result, the casting defects, such as dispersed
shrinkage and hot tearing are less severe are less severe in Mg–Sn
alloys than in Mg–Al and Mg–Zn alloys. The solubility of Sn
in the ␣-Mg solid solution drops sharply from 14.85 wt% at
the eutectic transformation temperature of 561 ◦ C to 0.45 wt%
at 200 ◦ C. This provides a fundamental basis for improving
the mechanical properties of these alloys through ageing. The
intermetallic phase Mg2 Sn in Mg–Sn alloys has a much higher
melting point (770 ◦ C) than the Mg17 Al12 phase (462 ◦ C) in
Mg–Al alloys. Mg–Sn based alloys are therefore likely to be
more creep resistant at elevated temperatures than Mg–Al based
∗ Corresponding author. Tel.: +86 28 85405670; fax: +86 28 85407335.
E-mail address: ygchen60@yahoo.co.cn (Y. Chen).
ical properties and creep behavior of a as-cast Mg–Sn binary
alloys.
2. Experimental
Five Mg–Sn alloys with tin addition levels of 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10 wt% were
prepared. Pure magnesium (99.95 wt%) and pure tin (99.98 wt%) were melted
in a magnesium oxide crucible under the protection of a RJ-2 flux at 770 ◦ C. The
melt was stirred to ensure the homogeneity. It was then held at 750 ◦ C for about
30 min, and finally cast into copper mould that was preheated up to 250 ◦ C. The
cavity dimension of the mould is measuring 20 mm × 110 mm × 140 mm.
The metallographic specimens were sliced from the same place of each cast-
ing. They were polished and etched with a solution of 5 vol% nitric acid + ethyl
alcohol. The overall phase structures of the test alloys were analyzed using X-ray
diffraction (D/Max2rA) with Cu K␣ radiation. Scanning electron microscope
(SEM) observations and energy dispersion spectrometry (EDS) (JEOL JSM-
5910LV) analyses were performed to identify the intermetallic phases in the
alloys studied.
The tensile tests were conducted at room temperature (20 ◦ C) on an electro-
universal testing machine (Instron5569) with a crosshead speed of 2 mm/min.
The specimens were cut into slices with an electrical discharge wire—cutting
at the middle of each sample. The gage dimension of each specimen is
18.0 mm × 3.5 mm × 2.0 mm. Six samples of each alloy were employed to
obtain one set of mechanical data.
The indentation creep tests were carried out on a Brinell tester at 150 ◦ C
(±1 ◦ C) with load of 30 kg. The diameter of global presser is 10 mm. The creep
specimens were cut by electric spark machining from the bottom of the ingots

0925-8388/$ – see front matter © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
doi:10.1016/j.jallcom.2006.09.024
 H. Liu et al. / Journal of Alloys and Compounds 440 (2007) 122–126 123

with a size of 30 mm × 5 mm × 14 mm. And oil was used as protected medium
during the creep test. It kept 10 min when the temperature reaches the setting
point before loading. For each alloy, six data points would be collected. Each
average datum point was repeated three times at least. The selection of holding
time for each data point was 30, 60, 120, 240, 360 and 480 min, respectively. The
size of indentation diameter was measured by instrumental microscope after the
creep tests were completed and the samples cooled down.
3. Results
3.1. Microstructure
Fig. 1 shows the optical metallographic microstructure of
Mg–Sn binary alloys. The primary ␣-Mg phases of these alloys
display a dendrite configuration. The secondary dendrite arm
spacing of the primary ␣-Mg phase can be obviously refined
with tin addition.
The DAS have an important effect on the mechanical proper-
ties of alloys. The DAS of Mg–Sn binary alloys were measured
by intercept method with the aim of analysis on the relationship
between the DAS and tin addition. Each specimen was viewed in
50 field, 5 lines about 175 mm were discretionally scored in each
field, then the number that the line crosses the dendrite bound-
ary was added together and the averaged result was imported
into Eq. (1), the values of the DAS were shown in Table 1, from
which it can be seen that the DAS (d2 ) of the ␣-Mg phase dwin-
dles away within the addition of tin, but change little when the

Fig. 1. Optical microscopy microstructures of the Mg–Sn alloys. (a) Mg–1%Sn, (b) Mg–3%Sn, (c) Mg–5%Sn, (d) Mg–7%Sn and (e) Mg–10%Sn.
124 H. Liu et al. / Journal of Alloys and Compounds 440 (2007) 122–126

Table 1
The DAS (d2 ) of Mg–Sn alloys
Alloy The average values of P d2 (␮m)

Mg–1%Sn 7.2 69.4

Mg–3%Sn 9.6 51.6
Mg–5%Sn 17.3 28.9
Mg–7%Sn 19.1 26.1
Mg–10%Sn 19.6 25.5

tin addition is over 5 wt%.

LT
d2 = (1)
PM
where d2 is the DAS, M magnification (a multiple of 350 in this
paper), LT the total length of through measuring line (is 175 mm
in this paper), and P is the crossing point between the measuring
line and the secondary dendrite.
The as-cast alloys were examined by XRD as shown in
Fig. 2, from which the expected ␣-Mg and Mg2 Sn can be clearly
distinguished, and the Mg2 Sn phase diffraction peak intensity
increases with the increase of tin content. The SEM micrographs
of Mg–5%Sn and Mg–10%Sn are shown in Fig. 3, from which
it can be seen that the alloys are composed of the primary ␣-Mg
matrix (dark colour), a eutectic ␣-Mg + Mg2 Sn (black-and-white
alternately), a devoiced Mg2 Sn (white colour) and a second
constituent Mg2 Sn phase (white tiny particles). In addition, the
number and size of Mg2 Sn phase in Mg–10%Sn alloy is more
than that in Mg–5%Sn alloy.

3.2. Mechanical properties Fig. 3. SEM micrographs of Mg–5%Sn (a) and Mg–10%Sn (b) alloys.

The result of the mechanical experiments of the as-cast alloys
is shown in Fig. 4, which indicated that when the addition of
tin is not more than 5 wt%, the ultimate tensile strength (UTS)
and elongation of the alloys increase gradually with the addi-
tion of tin. Optimum mechanical results are attained at a 5%Sn
addition, where the UTS is increased by 40.7% and the elon-
gation by 39.3% compared with pure magnesium. The tensile
strength and elongation both drop when tin addition is over 5%,
especially the elongation which drops by 57.7% at a 10 wt%Sn
addition in comparison with that of the Mg–5%Sn alloy. The
micro-hardness of the alloy continuously increases with addi-
tion of tin (Fig. 4(b)), which is estimated from the following
equation, HV0.01 = 50.77w0.17 (1 ≤ w ≤ 10), where w is the
tin content (wt%). In this set of experiments, the alloy with opti-
mum mechanical properties is Mg–5%Sn at room temperature.

3.3. Indentation creep

The results of creep test are expressed as the relation between

indentation diameter and holding time. They are shown in Fig. 5.
These curves are similar to that of tensile creep [7]. The mathe-
matical model of these curves is seen in Eq. (2).

d = at b (2)

where d is the diameter of indentation, t the holding time, a and

Fig. 2. XRD patterns of Mg–Sn alloys.
b are constants. From the analysis of the creep test results, the
values of a are between 2300 and 1750, which decrease with tin
content rising. For the investigated alloys, the value of b among
0.02–0.05 also declines with tin content increase. The bigger the
value of a and b, the poorer is the creep resistance. A conclusion
could be drawn from the formula of each curve that the creep
 H. Liu et al. / Journal of Alloys and Compounds 440 (2007) 122–126
Fig. 4. Relationship between mechanical properties and tin content in Mg–Sn
alloys.
resistance of Mg–7%Sn alloy is similar to that of AE42, and the
properties of Mg–10%Sn are better than that of AE42 alloy at
150 ◦ C.
With the aim of expressing the creep rate of the investigated
alloys, the change rate of indentation diameter with the increase
of holding time is expressed as creep rate. The mathematical
Fig. 5. The indentation creep curves of Mg–Sn alloys at 150 ◦ C.
125
Fig. 6. The indentation creep rates of Mg–Sn alloys at 150 ◦ C.
expression of creep rate can be deduced by the first derivative
of the formula (2). That is
d  = abt b−1 (3)
According to formula (3), the creep rate of each alloy can be cal-
culated at the same temperature. The results are shown in Fig. 6.
From the mathematic expression of creep rates of investigated
alloys in Fig. 6, it can be seen that the creep rate of Mg–7%Sn
alloy is near to that of AE42, and Mg–10%Sn is less than that of
AE42 on the same holding time. Therefore, it can be seen that
tin addition can improve the creep resistance of magnesium.
4. Discussion
The existent form and distribution of the alloying element in
the metal matrix decide its role. According to Mg–Sn binary
diagram [6], the saturation solid solubility of tin in magne-
sium is relatively large with 14.85 wt% at the temperature of
561.2 ◦ C, which decreases sharply with the temperature falling
with 0.45 wt% at 200 ◦ C and almost zero at room temperature.
The fact that the saturation solid solubility declines fast with the
decreasing of temperature cause the tin atoms to precipitate, in
the form of the secondary phase Mg2 Sn during the solidification
process. The results of XRD pattern and SEM show that the vol-
ume fraction of Mg2 Sn phase is substantial and increases with
Sn content. In addition, as the coarsening rates increases with
increasing solute content [8], this phase exhibits coarser shapes
as shown by Fig. 3.
It can be seen from Fig. 1 that the microstructure of Mg–Sn
alloys exhibits dendrites and the secondary dendrite arm spacing
decreases with the addition of tin as in Table 1. Tin is partitioned
into the liquid ahead of the solidification front, causing a consti-
tutional supercooling zone of liquid ahead of the interface. This
gives rise to dendrites. The constitutional supercooling caused
by the tin enrichment in the liquid ahead of the solid-liquid inter-
face promotes nucleation and hinders the fast growth of grain
[9]. Therefore, tin induces a refinement effect in Mg–Sn alloys.
126 H. Liu et al. / Journal of Alloys and Compounds 440 (2007) 122–126
The more the tin content, the stronger the effect of constitutional
supercooling is, so the secondary dendrite arm spacing declines
with the addition of tin.
The average secondary dendrite arm spacing has an important
effect on the mechanical properties of alloys [10,11]. Radhakr-
ishna et al. [12–14] doing a lot of work with aluminum alloys,
showed that a decrease in dendrite am spacing (DAS) is accom-
panied by an increase in ultimate tensile strength and ductility.
An empirical relationship [12] exists between DAS and the
mechanical properties as follows:
Y = A + BX + CX2 (4)
where Y is the value of ultimate tensile strength or yield strength
or elongation, X DAS, A, B and C are constants, and B is a
negative value. When the tin addition is less than 5 wt%, the
improvement in the tensile strength and the elongation of Mg–Sn
alloys comes from the decrease of DAS. On the other hand,
the discrete Mg2 Sn phase precipitates mainly at grain bound-
aries and may restrain the movement of dislocations, resulting
in a strengthening effect. The dispersion strengthening of the
Mg2 Sn phases also plays an important role in the rising of the
tensile strength. When the tin content reaches 7 wt% and more,
the decreasing extent of DAS lessens. However, the size and vol-
ume fraction of the Mg2 Sn phases increases and tends to form
semi-continuous network [5] on the grain boundary. The pres-
ence of these large intermetallic phases and the semi-continuous
network morphology promotes the initiation and propagation of
cracks and leads to an adverse effect on the strength and ductility.
Mg2 Sn is a hard (∼119 HV) and brittle phase, which contributes
to strengthen the matrix. This explains the continuous increase
in micro-hardness of the alloys with increasing tin content.
The melting point of Mg2 Sn phase is 771.5 ◦ C in Mg–Sn
alloys, while Mg17 Al12 in Mg–Al alloy is 462 ◦ C, so the addition
of tin in magnesium alloys is more effective to improve the creep
resistance of magnesium alloys in comparison with the addition
of aluminum in magnesium alloys. AE42 is considered as a
better resistance properties magnesium alloys [15,16], when the
tin content attains 7 wt%, the indentation creep resistance of
Mg–7%Sn alloy is similar to that of AE42, and the properties
of Mg–10%Sn are better than that of AE42 alloy at 150 ◦ C, and
the creep rate of Mg–10%Sn are less than that of AE42 on the
same holding time. Therefore, it can be seen that tin addition
can improve the creep resistance of magnesium.
5. Conclusions
(1) Mg–Sn alloys are composed of the primary ␣-Mg matrix and
the Mg2 Sn phase, and the size and volume fraction of the
Mg2 Sn phase increases with increasing tin concentration.
The as-cast microstructure is dendrite, and the secondary
dendrite arm spacing of the ␣-Mg phase can be obviously
refined with tin addition.
(2) The micro-hardness of the alloy continuously increases with
increasing tin concentration. The tensile strength and elon-
gation also increase up to a concentration of 5 wt% of tin and
further decrease. As a consequence, the Mg–5%Sn alloy is
the one exhibiting the best tensile properties at room tem-
perature.
(3) Tin addition can improve the creep resistance of magne-
sium. The indentation creep resistance of Mg–Sn alloys is
improved with the increase of tin addition. The indenta-
tion creep resistance of Mg–7%Sn alloy is similar to that of
AE42, and the properties of Mg–10%Sn is better than that
of AE42 alloy at 150 ◦ C.
Acknowledgements
This research was supported under a grant from the Science
& Technology Bureau of Sichuan Province of China. The
authors thank the Analysis and Testing Center of Sichuan
University for providing the necessary testing instruments.
Constructive comments and suggestions from the reviewer are
acknowledged.
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