In this study, Mg-Zn alloys are investigated in terms of their thermal properties after an addition of Cu. Al element is added to improve the mechanical properties and castability in general case. However, it was excluded here because it significantly decreases the thermal conductivity. On the other hand, Zn was added as a major element, which had less influence on reducing the conductivity and can complement the mechanical properties as well. Cu was also added, and it improved the heat transfer characteristics as the amount was increased. The composition ranges of Zn and Cu are 6 wt.% and 0~1.5 wt.%, respectively. Mg-6Zn-xCu alloy was prepared by a gravity casting method using a steel mold and then the thermal conductivity and the microstructure of the as-cast material were investigated. By measuring the density_(${\rho}$), specific heat_(Cp) and thermal diffusivity_(${\alpha}$), the thermal conductivity_(${\lambda}$) was calculated by the equation ${\lambda}={\rho}{\cdot}Cp{\cdot}{\alpha}$. As the amount of Cu increased in the Mg-6Zn-xCu alloy, the heat transfer characteristics were improved, resulting in a synergistic effect which is slow when the added Cu exceeds 1 wt.%. In order to investigate the relative thermal conductivity/emission of the Mg-6Zn-xCu alloy, AZ91 and AZ31 were experimentally evaluated and compared using a separate test equipment. As a result, the Mg-6Zn-1.5Cu alloy when compared to AZ91 showed improvements in the thermal conductivity ranging from 30 to 60% with a nearly 20% improvement in the thermal emission.

Commercial Zr-based amorphous alloy was recycled and oxygen was introduced during the recycling process. The oxygen content can have a great effect on the glass forming ability and the mechanical properties of the alloy. Therefore, it was closely examined. The initial oxygen content in the raw material was 1,244 ppm. It was increased to 3,789 ppm in the alloy after ten recycling processes. As the recycling processes were repeated, the oxygen content increased. Specifically, after four recycling processes, it increased sharply as compared to that after three recycling processes. After ten recycling processes, the glass transition temperature (Tg) increased from 613 K to 634 K and the crystallization temperature (Tx) increased from 696 K to 706 K. On the other hand, the super-cooled liquid region (${\Delta}T=Tx-Tg$) decreased slightly from 83 K to 72 K while the reduced glass transition temperature (Trg = Tg/Tm) was 0.63, remaining constant even when the oxygen content was increased. These results indicated that the increased oxygen content deteriorated the glass forming ability. The bending strength as determined in a three-point bending test showed a sharp decrease from 3,055 to 2,062 MPa as the oxygen content was increased from 1,244 ppm to 3,789 ppm; the extension was also decreased from 3.02 to 1.74 mm. These findings meant that the alloy became brittle.

The Al die casting process has been widely used in the manufacturing of automotive parts when the process requires near-net shape casting and a high productive rate. However, porosity arises in the casting process, and this hampers the wider use of this method for the creation of high-durability automotive components. The porosity can be controlled by the shot condition, but, it is critical to set the shot condition in the sleeve, and it remains difficult to optimize the shot condition to avoid air entrapment efficiently. In this study, the 4.5 mm, 2.0 mm plate die castings were fabricated under various shot conditions, such as plunger velocities of 0.7 m/s ~ 3.0 m/s and fast shot set points of the cavity of -25%, 0%, 25%, and 50%. The mold filling behavior of Al melts in the cavity was analyzed by a numerical method. Also, according to the shot conditions, the results of numerical analyses were compared to those of die-casting experiments. The porosity levels of the plate castings were analyzed by X-ray CT images and by density and microstructural analyses. The effects of the porosity on the mechanical properties were analyzed by tensile tests and hardness tests. The simulation results are in good general agreements with the die-casting experimental results. When plunger velocity and fast shot set point are 1.0 m/s and cavity 25% position, castings had optimum condition for good mechanical properties and a low level of porosity.

The effects of quenching and tempering temperatures on the tensile, impact and corrosion properties of A487 alloy cast with different C contents of 0.16, 0.19 to 0.23 wt.% were examined. The impact tests were conducted at $25^{\circ}C$ and $-60^{\circ}C$ and the immersion test was performed using 3.5% NaCl solution for 14 days. The quenching temperature affected the mechanical properties of A487 alloy cast, while the magnitude of change varied depending on the C content. The increase in tempering temperature showed the typical trend of decreasing tensile strength and increasing impact properties. The change in quenching and tempering temperature in this study did not affect the corrosion properties of A487 alloy significantly. The change in mechanical and corrosion properties of A487 with different C contents was discussed based on the microstructural and fractographic observation.