Microstructure and electrical conductivity of electroless copper plating layer on magnesium alloy micro-arc oxidation coating

In order to impart electrical conductivity to the magnesium alloy micro-arc oxidation(MAO)coating,the electroless copper plating was performed.Effects of plating temperature and complexing agent concentration on the properties of the electroless copper plating layers were studied by measuring their microstructure,corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity.It was found that the optimized plating temperature was 60°C,and the most suitable value of the complexing agent concentration was 30 g/L.Under this condition,a complete and dense plating layer could be obtained.The formation mechanism of the plating layer on magnesium alloy MAO coating was analyzed.A three-stage model of the plating process was proposed.The square resistance of the plated specimen was finally reduced to 0.03Ω/□after the third stage.Through electroless copper plating,the MAO coated sample obtained excellent electrical conductivity without significantly reducing its corrosion resistance.

Characteristics of AZ31 Mg alloy joint using automatic TIG welding

The automatic tungsten-inert gas welding（ATIGW） of AZ31 Mg alloys was performed using a six-axis robot. The evolution of the microstructure and texture of the AZ31 auto-welded joints was studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and electron backscatter diffraction. The ATIGW process resulted in coarse recrystallized grains in the heat affected zone（HAZ） and epitaxial growth of columnar grains in the fusion zone（FZ）. Substantial changes of texture between the base material（BM） and the FZ were detected. The {0002} basal plane in the BM was largely parallel to the sheet rolling plane, whereas the c-axis of the crystal lattice in the FZ inclined approximately 25° with respect to the welding direction. The maximum pole density increased from 9.45 in the BM to 12.9 in the FZ. The microhardness distribution, tensile properties, and fracture features of the AZ31 auto-welded joints were also investigated.

Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of CNT-Reinforced AZ91D Composites Fabricated by Ultrasonic Processing

Carbon nanotube （CNT）-reinforced AZ91D alloy composite was fabricated by ultrasonic processing. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the CNTs/AZ91D composites were investigated. Obvious grain refinement was achieved with the addition of 0.5 wt% CNTs. The SEM observation indicated that CNTs were distributed near the grain boundary or around the inter-grain β-Mg17A112 phase. No evident reaction product was found at the interface between CNTs and AZ91D matrix. Compared to the monolithic AZ91D alloy, the yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation of the 0.5 wt% CNTs/AZ91D composite were improved significantly. However, the poor interface bonding between CNTs and AZ91D matrix restricted further improvement in mechanical properties.

Microstructure Evolution and Growth Orientation of Directionally Solidified Mg–4 wt% Zn Alloy with Different Growth Rates

The microstructure evolution and growth orientation of directionally solidified Mg-4 wt% Zn alloy in the growth rate range from 20 to 200μm/s were investigated. A typical cellular structure was observed with a growth rate of 20 μm/s, and the cellular spacing was 115 μm. When the growth rate increased to 60 μm/s, cellular structure with some developed perturbations was obtained and the cellular spacing was 145 μm, suggesting that the cell-to-dendrite transition happened at the growth rate lower than 60 μm/s. As the growth rate further increased, the microstructure was dendritic and the primary dendritic arm spacing decreased. The relationship between the primary dendritic arm spacings and the growth rates was in good agreement with Trivedi model during dendritic growth. Besides, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy analyses showed that the growth direction of directionally solidified Mg-4 wt% Zn alloy was （1120） lay in {0002} crystal plane, and the preferred orientation was explained with the lattice vibration model for one-dimensional monatomic chain.

Improved wear resistance of biodegradable Mg-1.5Zn-0.6Zr alloy by Sc addition

Magnesium alloys exhibit significant potential for use in next-generation biodegradable materials.Implanted magnesium alloys are expected to exhibit good wear resistance.In this work,the effects of rare earth metal Sc on the wear resistance of biodegradable magnesium alloys were studied.The average grain sizes of Mg-1.5 Zn-0.6 Zr-x Sc(ZK21-x Sc,x=0,0.2,0.5,1.0;wt%)alloys decreased with Sc content increasing.Unlike other rare earth metals,the grain refinement mechanism of Sc belongs to the heterogeneous nucleation mechanism.The yield tensile strengths and Vickers hardness of the ZK21-x Sc alloys markedly improved with the addition of Sc increasing.This could be due to the grain refinement and enhanced bond energy resulting from Sc addition.Moreover,the friction and wear tests showed that the friction coefficient of the alloys decreased and the weight loss reduced with Sc addition increasing.This implies that Sc addition could enhance the wear resistance of magnesium alloys.With the addition of Sc increasing,the peeling phenomenon weakened gradually and the worn surfaces of samples became smoother.The major wear mechanisms of the as-cast ZK21-x Sc alloys were abrasion wear and delamination wear.