The relationship between ignition and oxidation of molten magnesium alloys during the cooling process

Ignition of magnesium alloys during casting processes limits their processability and applications. For identifying the ignition mechanism of magnesium alloys during solidification, a Mg-Al-Zn alloy was solidified with different cooling rates and pouring temperatures. The oxide scale morphologies and thicknesses were identified by SEM and energy dispersive spectrometer. Based on the experimental results, the oxidation kinetics and heat released were calculated and the relationship between oxidation and ignition was discussed in detail. The calculation results indicate that oxide rupture directly induces combustion of the melt. The rupture route of the oxide scale was determined to be buckling cracks according to the experimental and calculation results. Based on the buckling mechanism of the oxide scale, the ignition criterion during solidification was correlated to the pouring temperature, cooling rate and casting modulus. This work reveals the underlying relationship between ignition and casting process parameters, and it helps to develop new technology for inhibiting ignition of molten magnesium alloys.