Experimental Investigation and Thermodynamic Verification for the Phase Relation around the ε-Mg(23) (Al, Zn)(30) Intermetallic Compound in the Mg-Zn-Al System

The appearance of the ε phase during the welding process can severely weaken the welding strength of dissimilar metals of Mg-Zn-Al alloy systems. An understanding of the accurate phase diagram, especially the equilibrium phase relation around the ε phase, is thus of particular importance. However, the phase interrelation near the ε-Mg(23)(Al, Zn)(30) phase has not yet been fully studied. In this work, the local phase diagrams of the ε phase and its surrounding phases in the Mg-Zn-Al system are systematically determined by experimental investigation and thermodynamic verification. Five Mg-Zn-Al alloys and one diffusion couple were fabricated and analyzed to get accurate phase constituents and relationships adjacent to ε phase. The current experimental data obtained from Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC), and Electron Probe Micro Analysis (EPMA) were further compared with the thermodynamically computed phase relations around ε phase for verification, showing good agreements. Several important conclusions are drawn based on current experimental work, which can provide supporting information for the follow-up studies on ε phase in the Mg-Zn-Al alloy systems.