Effect of Higher Contents of Manganese and Magnesium on the Mechanical Properties of Twin-Roll Cast Aluminium Alloy EN AW-8011

Because of their excellent formability and sufficient mechanical properties, aluminium alloys based on an aluminium–iron–silicon system are very popular materials, commonly used in the production of thin foils. Alloy EN AW-8011 contains approximately 0.50–1.00 wt. % of iron and 0.40–0.80 wt. % of silicon. The other elements, including manganese and magnesium, are present only as impurities. However, these two elements are generally very effec-tive enhancers of mechanical properties. Due to their very low concentrations in alloy EN AW-8011, the influence of manganese and magnesium on mechanical properties is often overlooked. In the research work discussed in the article, the properties of two Twin-Roll cast aluminium alloy EN AW-8011 containing various amounts of manganese and magnesium were investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) and tensile tests. The test results revealed that higher contents of magnesium and manganese significantly changed the mechanical properties of the alloy.