Experimental and simulation research on hollow AZ31 magnesium alloy three-channel joint by hot extrusion forming with sand mandrel

Magnesium alloy is one of the lightest metal structural materials.The weight is further reduced through the hollow structure.However,the hollow structure is easily damaged during processing.In order to maintain the hollow structure and to transfer the stresses during the high temperature deformation,the sand mandrel is proposed.In this paper,the hollow AZ31 magnesium alloy three-channel joint is studied by hot extrusion forming.Sand as one of solid granule medium is used to fill the hollow magnesium alloy.The extrusion temperatures are 230℃ and 300℃,respectively.The process parameters(die angle,temperature,bottom thickness,sidewall thickness,edge-to-middle ratio in bottom,bottom shape)of the hollow magnesium alloy are analyzed based on the results of experiments and the finite element method.The results are shown that the formability of the hollow magnesium alloy will be much better when the ratio of sidewall thickness to the bottom thickness is 1:1.5.Also when edge-to-middle ratio in bottom is about 1:1.5,a better forming product can be received.The best bottom shape in these experiments will be convex based on the forming results.The grain will be refined obviously after the extrusion.Also the microstructures will be shown as streamlines.And these lines will be well agreement with the mold in the corner.

Edge crack damage analysis of AZ31 magnesium alloy hot-rolled plate improved by vertical roll pre-rolling

In the present study,through vertical roll pre-rolling of AZ31 magnesium alloy hot-rolled plate at room temperature,the effect of different vertical roll pre-rolling reduction on edge crack of the plate during flat rolling was systematically studied.The evolution of microstructure and texture in the edge and middle of the plate after vertical roll pre-rolling,heating and rolling was analyzed by using EBSD technology.The results show that during the vertical roll pre-rolling,{10–12}primary twins and{10–12}-{10–12}secondary twins dominated the edge deformation,while{10–12}primary twins dominated the middle deformation.With the increase of vertical roll pre-rolling reduction,the twin volume fraction of the edge and the middle increased,and the difference between them decreased gradually.After heating,the twin orientation caused by vertical roll pre-rolling was still maintained,and there was a significant difference in grain size between the edge and the middle.When the reduction rate of flat rolling was 30%,cracks have already appeared in the initial plate,while the vertical roll pre-rolled samples showed extremely high rolling performance.When the reduction rate of flat rolling was 50%,the 8PR sample still had no crack initiation.In addition,after flat rolling of 50%,the initial plate showed a strong basal texture,while the maximum pole density of the 8PR plate was small,and the texture distribution was very scattered,showing the characteristics of weak orientation.

Influence of bimodal non-basal texture on microstructure characteristics,texture evolution and deformation mechanisms of AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet rolled at liquid-nitrogen temperature

Cryogenic rolling experiments have been conducted on the AZ31 magnesium(Mg)alloy sheet with bimodal non-basal texture,which is fabricated via the newly developed equal channel angular rolling and continuous bending process with subsequent annealing(ECAR-CB-A)process.Results demonstrate that this sheet shows no edge cracks until the accumulated thickness reduction reaches about 18.5%,which is about 105.6%larger than that of the sheet with traditional basal texture.Characterization experiments including optical microstructure(OM),X-ray diffractometer(XRD),and electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD)measurements are then performed to explore the microstructure characteristics,texture evolution and deformation mechanisms during cryogenic rolling.Experimental observations confirm the occurrence of abundant{10–12}extension twins(ETs),twin-twin interactions among{10–12}ET variants and{10–12}-{10–12}double twins(DTs).The twinning behaviors as for{10–12}ETs are responsible for the concentration of c-axes of grains towards normal direction(ND)and the formation of transverse direction(TD)-component texture at the beginning of cryogenic rolling.The twinning behaviors with respect to{10–12}-{10–12}DTs are responsible for the disappearance of TD-component texture at the later stage of cryogenic rolling.The involved deformation mechanisms can be summarized as follows:Firstly{10–12}ETs dominate the plastic deformation.Subsequently,dislocation slip,especially basal<a>slip,starts to sustain more plastic strain,while{10–12}ETs occur more frequently and enlarge continuously,resulting in the formation of twin-twin interaction among{10–12}ET variants.With the increasing rolling passes,{10–12}-{10–12}DTs incorporate in the plastic deformation and dislocation slip serves as the major one to sustain plastic strain.The activities of basal<a>slip,{10–12}ETs and{10–12}-{10–12}DTs benefit in accommodating the plastic strain in sheet thickness,which contributes to the improved rolling formability in AZ31 Mg alloy sheet with bimodal non-basal texture during cryogenic rolling.

Analysis of Hot Rolling Routes of AZ31B Magnesium Alloy and Prediction of Tensile Property of Hot-rolled Sheets

At the initial rolling temperature of 250 to 400 ℃, AZ31B magnesium alloy sheets were hot rolled by four different rolling routes. Microstructures and mechanical properties of the hot-rolled magnesium alloy sheets were analyzed by optical microscope and tensile tests respectively. Based on the Hall-Petch relation, considering the average grain size and grain size distribution, the nonlinear fitting analysis between the tensile strength and average grain size was carried on, and then the prediction model of tensile strength of hot-rolled AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet was established. The results indicate that, by rolling with multi-pass cross rolling, uniform, fine and equiaxial grain microstructures can be produced, the anisotropy of hot-rolled magnesium sheet can also be effectively weakened. Strong correlation was observed between the average grain size and tensile property of the hot-rolled magnesium alloy sheet. Grain size distribution coefficient d（CV） was introduced to reflect the dispersion degree about a set of grain size data, and then the Hall-Petch relation was perfected. Ultimately, the prediction accuracy of tensile strength of multi-pass hot-rolled AZ31B magnesium alloy was improved, and the prediction of tensile property can be performed by the model.

Effect of grain refinement induced by wire and arc additive manufacture (WAAM) on the corrosion behaviors of AZ31 magnesium alloy in NaCl solution

Additive manufacturing(AM)of Mg alloys has become a promising strategy for producing complex structures,but the corrosion performance of AM Mg components remains unexploited.In this study,wire and arc additive manufacturing(WAAM)was employed to produce single AZ31 layer.The results revealed that the WAAM AZ31 was characterized by significant grain refinement with non-textured crystallographic orientation,similar phase composition and stabilized corrosion performance comparing to the cast AZ31.These varied corrosion behaviors were principally ascribed to the size of grain,where cast AZ31 and WAAM AZ31 were featured by micro galvanic corrosion and intergranular corrosion,respectively.

Corrosion resistance and electrical conductivity of V/Ce conversion coating on magnesium alloy AZ31B

A V/Ce conversion coating was deposited in the surface of AZ31B magnesium alloy in a solution containing vanadate and cerium nitrate.The coating composition and morphology were examined.The conversion coating appears to consist of a thin and cracked coating with a scattering of spherical particles.The corrosion behavior of the substrate and conversion coating was studied by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS).Compared with AZ31B magnesium alloy,the corrosion current density of the conversion coating is decreased by two orders of magnitude.The total impedance of the V/Ce conversion coating rise to 1.6×10^(3)Ω·cm^(2)in contrast with2.2×10^(2)Ω·cm^(2)of the bare AZ31B.In addition,the electrical conductivity of the coating was assessed by conductivity meter and Mott-Schottky measurement.The results reveal a high dependence of the conductivity of the coating on the semiconductor properties of the phase compositions.

Microstructure and mechanical properties of curved AZ31 magnesium alloy profiles produced by differential velocity sideways extrusion

Lightweight curved profiles are widely utilised in the transportation industry considering the increasing need for improving aerodynamic efficiency,aesthetics and cutting emissions.In this paper,curved AZ31 Mg alloy profiles were manufactured in one operation by a novel process,differential velocity sideways extrusion(DVSE),in which two opposed rams were used.Effects of extrusion temperature and velocity(strain rate) on curvature,microstructure,and mechanical properties of the formed profiles were examined.Profile curvature was found to be more readily controlled by the velocity ratio of the bottom ram v2to the top ram v1,whereas extrusion temperature(T=250,300,350℃)and extrusion velocity(v_(1)=0.1,1 mm/s) slightly affect curvature for a given velocity ratio.A homogeneous microstructure with equiaxed grains(~4.5 μm) resulted from dynamic recrystallisation(DRX),was observed after DVSE(v_(2)/v_(1)=1/2) at 300 ℃ and v_(1)=0.1 mm/s,where the initial billet had an average grain size of ~25 um.Increasing extrusion temperature leads to grain growth(~5 μm) at 350 ℃ and v_(1)=0.1 mm/s.DRX is incomplete at the relatively low temperature of 250℃(v_(1)=0.1 mm/s),and higher strain rate with v1=1mm/s(T=300℃),resulting in inhomogeneous bi-modal necklace pattern grains ranging in size around 1-25 μm for the former and 2-20μm for the latter.Grain refinement is attributed to DRX during the severe plastic deformation(SPD) arising in DVSE,and initiates at the prior boundaries of coarse grains in a necklace-like manner.Compared with the billet,micro-hardness and ultimate tensile strength of the profiles have been enhanced,which is compatible with grain refinement.Also,an obvious increase in tensile ductility was found.However,yield strength slightly decreases except for the complete DRXed case(300℃,v_(1)=0.1 mm/s),where a slightly higher value was found,indicating strengthening by grain refinement is greater than softening caused by texture modification.The initial billet had a strong basal texture wherein the {0002} basal plane is oriented parallel to the extrusion direction(’hard’ orientation),while DVSE results in the profiles having weak basal textures and the {0002} basal plane oriented ~5-10° to the extrusion direction(i.e.towards the orientation for easier slip).This significantly modified texture contributes to the softening of the profiles in the extrusion direction,in which tensile tests were performed,and the related elongation improvement.

Effect of asymmetric rolling process on the microstructure,mechanical properties and texture of AZ31 magnesium alloys sheets produced by twin roll casting technique

Symmetric rolling(SR)and asymmetric rolling(ASR)processes were carried out on 6 mm thick AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets that were produced by twin roll casting(TRC)technique.Before rolling processes,sheets were heat treated in order to obtain a homogenized microstructure.In this study,for the ASR process the rolling speed ratio between upper roller and lower was selected as 1.25.Both SR and ASR processes were utilized with 40%reduction per passes using 2 pass schedule for a total reduction ratio of 0.67.Symmetric and asymmetric rolled sheets were characterized using optical microscopy(OM),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM)techniques.Texture measurements were performed by using X-ray diffraction(XRD)technique and mechanical properties were investigated by tensile tests and also hardness measurements.

Unveiling the mechanical response and accommodation mechanism of pre-rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy under high-speed impact loading

Split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)tests were conducted on pre-rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy at 150–350℃ with strain rates of 2150s-1,3430s^(-1) and 4160s-1.The mechanical response,microstructural evolution and accommodation mechanism of the pre-rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy under high-speed impact loading were investigated.The twin and shear band are prevailing at low temperature,and the coexistence of twins and recrystallized grains is the dominant microstructure at medium temperature,while at high temperature,dynamic recrystallization(DRX)is almost complete.The increment of temperature reduces the critical condition difference between twinning and DRX,and the recrystallized temperature decreases with increasing strain rate.The mechanical response is related to the competition among the shear band strengthen,the twin strengthen and the fine grain strengthen and determined by the prevailing grain structure.The fine grain strengthen could compensate soften caused by the temperature increase and the reduction of twin and shear band.During high-speed deformation,different twin variants,introduced by pre-rolling,induce different deformation mechanism to accommodate plastic deformation and are in favor for non-basal slip.At low temperature,the high-speed deformation is achieved by twinning,dislocation slip and the following deformation shear band at different deformation stages.At high temperature,the high-speed deformation is realized by twinning and dislocation slip of early deformation stage,transition shear band of medium deformation stage and DRX of final deformation stage.

Research on Thermal Deep-drawing Technology of Magnesium Alloy (AZ31B) Sheets

Forming technology of Mg alloy (AZ31B) sheets can be investigated by thermal deep drawing experiments. In the experiments, the blank holder and die contacting with the blank were heated to the same temperature as the blank by using the heating facility. The circular blank heated in an oven is formed at a temperature range of 100~400 ℃ to obtain the optimum forming temperature range and the effects of major technical parameters on the workpiece quality. It is found that the blank is brittle at temperatures lower than 200℃. Temperatures higher than 400℃ are not suitable for forming of the sheets because of severe oxidation and wrinkling. AZ31B shows an excellent formability at temperatures from 300 to 350℃ and can be formed into a workpiece with good quality. When the blank holder force is 9 kN, extruded sheets with a thickness of 1 mm can be formed into cups without wrinkling. Workpieces show strong anisotropic deformation behavior on the flanges.

Microstructures and tensile properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy thin sheet

Microstructures, tensile properties, fracture characteristics of commercial AZ31 magnesium alloy thin sheet were studied by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and uniaxial tensile test. Tensile tests were carried out at room temperature and 473K, with strain rates of 8.3×10 -44.2×10 -3s -1. The results show that grain refinement effects are better at high temperature, and it increases with the decrease of strain rate at 473K. Compared with that tested at room temperature, no apparent uniform plastic deformation stage exists in the stress—strain curves tested at 473K; afterwards, the stress—strain curve presents wavelike downward under condition of the small strain rate. Yield strength and tensile strength of the alloy decrease drastically while the elongation increases greatly. With the increase of strain rate, yield strength and tensile strength of the alloy increase, but the elongation decreases. The fracture of the alloy tested at room temperature is quasi-cleavage failure and ductile failure at 473K.

Molecular dynamics study on the effect of temperature on HCP→FCC phase transition of magnesium alloy

To explore the effect of temperature on the phase transformation of HCP→FCC during compression, the uniaxial compression process of AZ31 magnesium alloy was simulated by the molecular dynamics method, and the changes of crystal structure and dislocation evolution were observed. The effects of temperature on mechanical properties, crystal structure, and dislocation evolution of magnesium alloy during compression were analyzed. It is concluded that some of the Shockley partial dislocation is related to FCC stacking faults. With the help of TEM characterization, the correctness of the correlation between some of the dislocations and FCC stacking faults is verified. Through the combination of simulation and experiment, this paper provides an idea for the in-depth study of the solid-phase transformation of magnesium alloys and provides reference and guidance for the design of magnesium alloys with good plasticity and formability at room temperature.

Effects of cold and warm cross-rolling on microstructure and texture evolution of AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet

Mg alloys conventionally rolled often present strong basal textures that affect negatively further deformations,limiting their applications.The present research found that cross-rolling experiences in adequate conditions can weaken those intense basal textures as a result of the interaction of deformation mechanisms and dynamic recrystallization.The effects of rolling temperature and strain rate on the microstructure and texture of an AZ31B magnesium alloy sheet generated heterogeneous microstructure where the initial basal texture was strengthened during cold cross-rolling and it was gradually weakening by the rolling reduction and the rolling temperature increases in such a way that a rather weak basal fiber was produced applying reductions higher than 15%at temperatures higher than 200℃.Their ODF functions supported the texture weakening,exhibiting a combination of two crystallographic orientations represented by{0001}<211^(-)0>and{0001}<101^(-)0>.

Review on the effect of different processing techniques on the microstructure and mechanical behaviour of AZ31 Magnesium alloy

Magnesium(Mg)alloys despite being the ideal candidate for structural applications,owing to their high specific strength and low density,are not widely used due to lack of active slip systems at room temperature in their hexagonal close-packed crystal structure,eliciting poor ductility and formability.Amongst the various series of Mg alloys,the AZ and ZK series alloys have been standouts,as they inherit better room temperature strength and flow characteristics through their solute elements.Grain refinement,as well as eliminating casting defects through metal processing techniques are vital for the commercial viability of these alloys since they play a key role in controlling the mechanical behaviour.As such,this review highlights the effect of different Bulk-deformation and Severe Plastic Deformation techniques on the crystal orientation and the corresponding mechanical behaviours of the AZ31 alloy.However,every process parameter surrounding these techniques must be well thought of,as they require specially designed tools.With the advent of finite element analysis,these processes could be computationally realized for different parameters and optimized in an economically viable manner.Hence,this article also covers the developments made in finite element methods towards these techniques.

Microstructure and texture evolution in AZ31 magnesium alloy during caliber rolling at different temperatures

Magnesium alloy AZ31 was caliber rolled at different temperatures viz.523K,573K,623K,673K and 723K imposing a total cumulative reduction of 92%and a cumulative strain of 2.6.The associated microstructure and texture evolution were studied using Electron Back Scattered Diffraction(EBSD)and X-ray macro-texture observations respectively.Grain refinement was observed in all the caliber rolled bars indicating the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization.Asymmetry parameter and texture index were used to study the evolution of texture.Near doubling of the yield strength at room temperature was observed by caliber rolling at a temperature of 573K.The improvement in mechanical properties was explained on the basis of the fine grain microstructures and suitable development of crystallographic texture.Based on the present study,warm caliber rolling can be used as a good production method for obtaining long bars of high strength magnesium alloy AZ31.

Effects of RE on Microstructures and Mechanical Properties of Hot-Extruded AZ31 Magnesium Alloy

Effects of rare earth (RE) additions on microstructure and mechanical properties of the wrought AZ31 magnesium alloy were investigated. The results show that, by adding 0.3%, 0.6% and 1.0% RE elements, the as-cast microstructure can be refined, and the as-cast alloys′ elongation and tensile strength can be improved. After extrusion, the alloy with 0.3% and 0.6% RE additions obtain a finer microstructure and the best mechanical properties, but the alloy with 1.0% RE addition has the coarse Al-RE compound particles in grain boundaries which decreased elongation and tensile properties. Usually, Rare earth (RE) elements were used to improve the creep properties of aluminium-containing magnesium pressure die cast alloys at elevated temperatures. In this paper, it is also found that the high temperature strength of extruded materials can be increased by RE elements additions.

Tailoring strength-ductility balance of caliber-rolled AZ31 Mg alloy through subsequent annealing

Recently,multi-pass caliber rolling has been shown to be effective for Mg alloys.This study investigated the effect of subsequent annealing on the mechanical properties of a caliber-rolled AZ31 Mg alloy to modulate the strength-ductility relationship.This annealing gave rise to different trends in mechanical properties depending on the temperature regime.Low-temperature annealing(T≤473 K)exhibited a typical trade-off relationship,where an increase in annealing temperature resulted in increased ductility but decreased strength and hardness.Such a heat treatment did not degrade the high strength-ductility balance of the caliber-rolled alloy,suggesting that the mechanical properties could be tailored for different potential applications.In contrast,high-temperature annealing(T>473 K)caused a simultaneous deterioration in strength,hardness,and ductility with increasing annealing temperature.These differences are discussed in terms of the varying microstructural features under the different investigated annealing regimes.

Effects of Er on the microstructure and properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy prepared via the EMS process

The effects of small amounts of the rare-earth element erbium on the microstructure and the mechanical properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy via the electromagnetic stirring （EMS） process have been studied. It has been shown that AZ31-Er alloys are mainly composed of α-Mg solid solution and β-Mg17TA112 phases. When the Er content reaches 0.12 wt.%, the characteristic peaks of A12Er can be observed. The micro- structure is obviously refined and the tensile strength of the AZ31-based alloy at ambient temperature is significantly improved by contents of 0.03 wt.% Er, especially the elongation （8= 19%）. More addition of Er obviously decreases the tensile strength and elongation of the AZ31-based alloy because of the grain coarsening and the reduction of β-Mg17A112 phases.

Evaluation of self-healing ability of Ce-V conversion coating on AZ31 magnesium alloy

This study investigated the influence of cerium nitrate in vanadate solutions on the properties of Ce–V conversion coatings on AZ31 magnesium alloys,and evaluated the self-healing behavior of the Ce–V conversion coating for AZ31 magnesium alloy.The results showed that the additions of cerium nitrate prevented pentavalent vanadium from reducing to tetravalent vanadium in the coatings during conversion reaction process.Adding appropriate cerium nitrate to vanadate solution led to a thicker coating with a more compact CeVO_(4) layer.The corrosion behavior of the Ce–V conversion coating was investigated by the electrochemical tests and the scratch immersion test in 3.5 wt.%NaCl solution.The self-healing ability of the coating was confirmed from all tests.The surface analysis revealed that the self-healing effect of the Ce–V conversion coating was only provided by the release and migration of vanadium compounds.

Mechanical properties and texture evolution during hot rolling of AZ31 magnesium alloy

Mechanical properties and texture evolutions of the as-rolled AZ31 Mg sheets were investigated.The results show that the grains of the sheets are significantly refined after hot rolling.The mechanical properties of the as-rolled samples are enhanced due to the grain size refinement.The intensity of basal texture decreases with the increase of deformation ratio,and double-peak type basal texture is discovered in the intermediate and large strain hot rolling processes.The formation of the texture is ascribed to the activities of prismatic and non-basalslips,which is the same as the 30%rolled and 50%rolled samples.The incline of basal planes exerts an effect on the mechanical anisotropy during tension along rolling direction(RD)and transverse direction(TD)at room temperature.