Influence of pre-strain and heat treatment on subsequent deformation behavior of extruded AZ31 Mg alloy

Pre-compression and heat treatment were performed on an extruded AZ31 Mg alloy,and their effects on subsequent deformation behavior were investigated.The results show that at low temperature annealing(170 ℃ for 4 h),the extruded samples with and without annealing exhibit a nearly equivalent yield stress(~148 MPa) because their microstructures are nearly unchanged.However,under the same annealing condition,the yield stress of sample with pre-twinning and subsequent annealing(~225 MPa) is higher than that of the pre-twinned one(~200 MPa).The former sample presents a hardening effect because the solute atoms segregated on twin boundaries lead to a strengthening effect.The pre-twinned sample annealed at 400 ℃ for 1 h shows a higher ultimate elongation(~28%) than the pre-twinned one(~15%),but its yield stress(~125 MPa) is much lower than that of the pre-twinned one(~200 MPa).

Fatigue behavior of friction stir spot welded AZ31 Mg alloy sheet joints

The fatigue behavior of friction stir spot welded （FSSW） AZ31 magnesium alloy sheet joints was investigated by tension- compression of fatigue test. The results suggest that all the fatigue failures occur at the stir zone of the FSSW AZ31 sheet joints, and all cracks initiate at the stir zone outer edge between the upper and lower sheet. When the cycle force equals 1 kN, the crack propagates along the interface of heat-affected zone and thermo-mechanical zone, simultaneously across the direction of force; while the cycle force equals 3 kN, the crack propagates along the diameter of stir zone and shear failure occurs finally. Moreover, the transverse microsections indicate that there is a tongue-like region at the outer edge of stir zone between the two AZ31 sheets, and the direction of tongue-like region is toward outside of the stirred zone and all fatigue cracks initiate at the tongue-like region.

Enhancing fatigue performance of AZ31 magnesium alloy components fabricated by cold metal transfer-based wire arc directed energy deposition through LPB

Cold Metal Transfer-Based Wire Arc Directed Energy Deposition(CMT-WA-DED)presents a promising avenue for the rapid fabrication of components crucial to automotive,shipbuilding,and aerospace industries.However,the susceptibility to fatigue of CMT-WA-DED-produced AZ31 Mg alloy components has impeded their widespread adoption for critical load-bearing applications.In this study,a comprehensive investigation into the fatigue behaviour of WA-DED-fabricated AZ31 Mg alloy has been carried out and compared to commercially available wrought AZ31 alloy.Our findings indicate that the as-deposited parts exhibit a lower fatigue life than wrought Mg alloy,primarily due to poor surface finish,tensile residual stress,porosity,and coarse grain microstructure inherent in the WA-DED process.Low Plasticity Burnishing(LPB)treatment is applied to mitigate these issues,which induce significant plastic deformation on the surface.This treatment resulted in a remarkable improvement of fatigue life by 42%,accompanied by a reduction in surface roughness,grain refinement and enhancement of compressive residual stress levels.Furthermore,during cyclic deformation,WA-DED specimens exhibited higher plasticity and dislocation density compared to both wrought and WA-DED+LPB specimens.A higher fraction of Low Angle Grain Boundaries(LAGBs)in WA-DED specimens contributed to multiple crack initiation sites and convoluted crack paths,ultimately leading to premature failure.In contrast,wrought and WA-DED+LPB specimens displayed a higher percentage of High Angle Grain Boundaries(HAGBs),which hindered dislocation movement and resulted in fewer crack initiation sites and less complex crack paths,thereby extending fatigue life.These findings underscore the effectiveness of LPB as a post-processing technique to enhance the fatigue performance of WA-DED-fabricated AZ31 Mg alloy components.Our study highlights the importance of LPB surface treatment on AZ31 Mg components produced by CMT-WA-DED to remove surface defects,enabling their widespread use in load-bearing applications.

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.

The effect of Equal Channel Angular Pressing process on the microstructure of AZ31 Mg alloy strip shaped specimens

Equal Channel Angular Pressing(ECAP)is one of the most applicable Sever Plastic Deformation(SPD)processes which leads to strength and ductility improvement through the grain refining and development of a suitable texture.In this study,after designing and manufacturing a suitable die,4 pass ECAP process at route C is done on strip shaped specimens of AZ31 magnesium alloy in order to achieve desirable microstructural and mechanical properties.Microstructure then got studied through the optical microscopy.Results show that mean grain size is decreased and grain size distribution got close to normal distribution state by increasing the pass number.However,the grain size is reduced by increasing of ECAP temperature.

Formability of AZ31 Mg alloy sheets within medium temperatures

The stretching tests of the commercial AZ31 Mg alloy were conducted at 130 ℃, 170 ℃, 210 ℃, at the forming speeds of 10 mm/min and 50 mm/min, respectively. The formability of AZ31 sheets at high temperature was evaluated by forming limit diagrams (FLD). The fracture morphologies were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope. The results show that the FLD of AZ31 Mg alloy is affected by the forming temperature, in another word, the formability increases with the increasing of the forming temperature. That may be because the non-basal slip system starts to move by thermal activation at high forming temperature. It is also demonstrated that the formability of the AZ31 Mg alloy is on the decline with the increasing of the forming speed. The slipping performs thoroughly to release the stress during the deformation if the forming speed decreases. In addition, the higher the forming temperature is, the more obvious the effect of the forming speed is. The forming temperature is the main dominating factor on the formability of AZ31 Mg alloy.

Diffusion bonding of Al 7075 and Mg AZ31 alloys:Process parameters, microstructural analysis and mechanical properties

Al 7075 and Mg AZ31 alloys were joined by diffusion bonding method. Joining process was performed in pressure range of 10-35 MPa at temperatures of 430-450 ℃ for 60 min under a vacuum of 13.3 MPa. The microstructure evaluation, phase analysis and distribution of elements at the interface were done using scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy （EDS） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）. The pressure of 25 MPa was determined as the optimum pressure in which the minimum amount of plastic deformation takes place at the joint. Different reaction layers containing intermetallic compounds, such as Al12Mg17, Al3Mg2 andα（Al） solid solution, were observed, in interfacial transition zone （ITZ）. Thickness of layers was increased with increasing the operating temperature. According to the results, diffusion of aluminum atoms into magnesium alloy was more and the interface movement towards the Al alloy was observed. The maximum bond strength of 38 MPa was achieved at the temperature of 440 ℃ and pressure of 25 MPa. Fractography studies indicated that the brittle fracture originated from Al3Mg2 phase.

Grain refining and property improvement of AZ31 Mg alloy by hot rolling

Hot rolling of AZ31 Mg alloy was performed by using as-cast alloy ingot as the starting material.The microstructures and mechanical properties of the as-rolled alloy subjected to various rolling passes were investigated.The results show that the grain size of the alloy can be refined steadily with increasing rolling passes by dynamic recrystallization.With the steady refining of the grain size,both the mechanical strength and the plasticity of the alloy are improved correspondingly.In particular,when the grain size is reduced to about 5μm after 5 rolling passes,the yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and tensile fracture strain of the alloy are 211 MPa,280 MPa and 0.28 in the transverse direction,they are 200 MPa,268 MPa and 0.32 in the rolling direction,respectively.

Development of anti-corrosive coating on AZ31 Mg alloy subjected to plasma electrolytic oxidation at sub-zero temperature

Plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO)is a promising surface treatment to generate adherent and thick anti-corrosive coating on light-weight metals(Al,Mg,Ti,etc.)using an eco-friendly alkaline electrolyte.High energy plasma,however,inevitably generates porous structures that limit their practical performance.The present study proposes a straight-forward simple method by utilizing sub-zero electrolyte(268 K)to alter the plasma characteristics during formation of the protective coating on AZ31 Mg alloy via PEO with a comparison to the electrolyte at room temperature(298 K).In refrigerated electrolyte,the formation of micro-defects is suppressed relatively at the expense of low coating growth,which is measured to be twice lower than that at 298 K due to the temperature-dependent soft plasma discharges contributing to the development of the present coating.As a consequence,corrosion resistance of the sample processed at 268 K is superior to that of 298K,implying that the effect of coating thickness is less dominant than that of compactness.This phenomenon is interpreted in relation to the ionic movement and oxide solidification controlled by soft plasma discharges arising from the temperature gradient between electrolyte and surface of the substrate during PEO.

Fabrication of chitosan/silica hybrid coating on AZ31 Mg alloy for orthopaedic applications

Biocompatible conversion of chitosan and chitosan/silica hybrid coating were prepared to enhance the biocompatibility and corrosion resistance of biodegradable AZ31 Mg alloy. The coatings were optimized and analysed with potentiodynamic polarization, SEM, ATR-IR and XPS studies. Potentiodynamic polarization studies, revealed that the coatings exhibited high corrosion resistance. The surface morphology of the Ch-3/Si coating showed small globular rough structure. The presence of functional groups was confirmed by ATR-IR. For a better understanding of chitosan/silica hybrid coating, the chemical states were examined by XPS studies. The in-vitro bioactivity of the coated samples was evaluated in Earle’s solution, which formed a dense layer of coral-like structure and calcium-deficient apatite with less stoichiometric ratio than the hydroxyapatite. In-vitro cell culture studies exhibited a good cell proliferation rate and the fabricated Ch-3/Si coating was found to be non-hemolytic. The bacterial studies proved that Ch-3/Si coating possessed inherent antibacterial activity.

Effect of electrolyte on mechanical properties of AZ31B Mg alloy in electrolytic plasma processing

Coatings on Mg alloys were prepared using NaOH + Na2SiO3 as basic electrolyte containing electrolyte of Na2SiF6 or NaF. EPP treatment was carried out on AZ31 Mg alloys matrix under a hybrid voltage of AC of 200 V combined with DC of 260 V for 30 min. Structural and morphological analyses of ceramic coatings were analyzed by XRD and SEM. Wear and hardness of coatings were measured by pin-on disk test and Vickers hardness test. The coatings formed in Na2SiF6 and NaF electrolytes were mainly composed of MgO and Mg2SiO4. The measured micro-hardness of coating formed in Na2SiF6 electrolyte was found to be over HV 1100, while, coating formed in NaF electrolyte possessed micro-hardness of HV ~900. These results show that the mechanical properties of AZ31 B Mg alloys can be enhanced by the proper selection of electrolyte agent.

On the cold rolling of AZ31 Mg alloy after Equal Channel Angular Pressing

Among the various Severe Plastic Deformation(SPD)processes,Equal Channel Angular Pressing(ECAP)is one of the most applicable one which improves strength and ductility due to grain refinement and suitable texture development.In this study,cold rolling were carried out on the 4 pass ECAPed(in route A and C)strip shaped specimens of AZ31 magnesium alloy to investigate the ECAP effects on the roll-ability.Results showed that reduction in area which can be concerned as an index for roll-ability increased after ECAP.It was also seen that ECAP in route C enhanced roll-ability more than route A.

High temperature tensile behaviors of extruded and rolled AZ31 Mg alloy

High temperature tensile ductilities and deformation mechanisms of an extruded and rolled AZ31 Mg alloy were investigated.Elongation-to-failure tests were conducted under constant T-head velocity and constant temperatures ranging from 300℃ to 450℃.Strain-rate-change tests were conducted under varying strain rate from 5×10-5s-1to 2×10-2s-1and constant temperature from 300℃ to 450℃.Experimental results show that the maximum elongation of the AZ31 alloy with an average grain size of about 19μm is 117%at strain rate of 10- 3s-1 and temperature of 450℃.Stress exponent and activation energy were characterized to clarify the deformation mechanisms.The enhanced ductility is dominated by solute drag dislocation creep,and the major failure mechanism is cavity growth and interlinkage.

Paint-bake response of AZ80 and AZ31 Mg alloys

Aging behaviors of extruded and rolled AZ80 and AZ31 Mg alloys were investigated under conditions similar to the paint-bake cycle currently used in automotive industry.Artificial aging at 170℃ from 0.5 to 12 h was conducted on solution-treated specimens to study the effects of aging on mechanical properties.SEM observations and EDS data show thatβ-phase of Al12Mg17 precipitates continuously or discontinuously fromα-Mg matrix and distributes along grain boundaries of the AZ80 alloy during artificial aging.Data of tensile tests and Vickers hardness tests show that an optimum mechanical property is achieved after baking at 170℃ for 6-8 h when Vickers hardness,tensile strength,and elongation are increased by 6.35%,15.30%,and 7.88%,respectively, while the AZ31 alloy does not exhibit significant hardening behavior over the aging period.

Corrosion and wear resistance of coatings produced on AZ31 Mg alloy by plasma electrolytic oxidation in silicate-based K2TiF6 containing solution:Effect of waveform

In this research,plasma electrolytic oxidation coatings were prepared on AZ31 Mg alloy in a silicate-based solution containing K_(2)TiF_(6) using bipolar and soft sparking waveforms with 10,20,and 30%cathodic duty cycles.The coatings displayed a net-like surface morphology consisted of irregular micro-pores,micro-cracks,fused oxide particles,and a sintered structure.Due to the incorporation of TiO_(2) colloidal particles and the cathodic pulse repair effect,most of the micro-pores were sealed.Long-term corrosion performance of the coatings was investigated using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy during immersion in 3.5 wt.%NaCl solution up to 14 days.The coating grown by the soft sparking waveform with a 20%cathodic duty cycle having the lowest porosity(6.2%)and a sharp layer concentrated in F element at the substrate/coating interface shows the highest corrosion resistance.The friction coefficient of this coating has remained stable during the sliding even under 5 N normal load,showing relatively higher wear resistance than other coatings.The coating produced using the equivalent unipolar waveform,as the reference specimen,showed the highest friction coefficient and the lowest wear resistance despite its highest micro-hardness.

Unveiling the planar deformation mechanisms for improved formability in pre-twinned AZ31 Mg alloy sheet at warm temperature

To investigate the role of pre-twins in Mg alloy sheets during warm planar deformation,the stretch forming is conducted at 200℃.Results suggest the formability of the pre-twinned AZ31 Mg alloy sheet is enhanced to 11.30 mm.The mechanisms for the improved formability and the deformation behaviors during the planar stretch forming are systematically investigated based on the planar stress states.The Schmid factor for deformation mechanisms are calculated,the results reveal that planar stress states extremely affect the Schmid factor for{10-12}twinning.The detwinning is activated and the prismatic slip is enhanced in the pre-twinned sheet,especially under the planar extension stress state in the outer region.Consequently,the thickness-direction strain is accommodated better.The dynamic recrystallization(DRX)type is continuous DRX(CDRX)regardless of the planar stress state.However,the CDRX degree is greater under the planar extension stress state.Some twin lattices deviate from the perfect{10-12}twinning relation due to the planar compression stress state and the CDRX.The basal texture is weakened when the planar stress state tends to change the texture components.

Microstructure Evolution of AZ31 Mg Alloy during Change Channel Angular Extrusion

Microstructure evolution of AZ31 Mg alloy during change-channel angular extrusion （CCAE） was investigated. The grains of AZ31 Mg alloy were refined significantly from 500 mm to 15 mm after CCAE deformed at 523 K. Dislocations were induced at the initial stage of extrusion and they rearranged themselves to form dislocation boundaries and sub-grain boundaries during deformation. When the specimen through the horizontal change channel with the strain increased, the sub-boundaries evolved to high angle grain boundaries （HAGB）. The process of grain refinement can be described as continuous dynamic recovery and recrystallization （CDRR）.

Quasi-in vivo corrosion behavior of AZ31B Mg alloy with hybrid MWCNTs-PEO/PCL based coatings

This study investigated the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) and polycaprolactone(PCL) on the quasi-in vivo corrosion behavior of AZ31B Mg alloy treated by plasma electrolytic oxidation(PEO). Thin(~2 μm, PCTPCL4) and thick(~60 μm, PCTPCL6) PCL layers were applied only onto the MWCNTs-PEO coating(PCT) as it showed better corrosion performance. Findings reveal that incorporation of MWCNTs induced several structural and functional modifications in the PEO coating, such as increased roughness, a thicker inner barrier layer, and reduced hydrophilicity.Quasi-in vivo corrosion testing was carried out under controlled temperature, p H, and fluid flow in simulated body fluid(SBF) by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy(EIS) and hydrogen evolution experiments. EIS results revealed that, after 48 h immersion, a diffusion process controlled hydration of the ceramic coatings. Comparison of the collected hydrogen after 15 days of immersion in the quasi-in vivo environment revealed that the PEO and PCT ceramic coatings decreased hydrogen generation by up to 74% and 91%, respectively, compared to non-coated alloy.PCTPCL6 coating exhibited the lowest amount of collected hydrogen(0.2 m L/cm^(2)). The thick PCL layer delayed the onset of substrate corrosion for at least 120 h, reducing the corrosion rate by 85% compared with the PCT.

Influence of bimodal grain size distribution on the corrosion behavior of friction stir processed biodegradable AZ31 magnesium alloy

In the present study,AZ31 magnesium alloy sheets were processed by friction stir processing(FSP)to investigate the effect of the grain refinement and grain size distribution on the corrosion behavior.Grain refinement from a starting size of 16.4±6.8µm to 3.2±1.2µm was attained after FSP.Remarkably,bimodal grain size distribution was observed in the nugget zone with a combination of coarse(11.62±8.4µm)and fine grains(3.2±1.2µm).Due to the grain refinement,a slight improvement in the hardness was found in the nugget zone of FSPed AZ31.The bimodal grain size distribution in the stir zone showed pronounced influence on the corrosion rate of FSPed AZ31 as observed from the immersion and electrochemical tests.From the X-ray diffraction analysis,more amount of Mg(OH)_(2) was observed on FSPed AZ31 compared with the unprocessed AZ31.Polarization measurements demonstrated the higher corrosion current density for FSPed AZ31(8.92×10^(−5)A/cm^(2))compared with the unprocessed condition(2.90×10^(−5)A/cm^(2))that can be attributed to the texture effect and large variations in the grain size which led to non-uniform galvanic intensities.

Influence of rolling route on microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ31 magnesium alloy during asymmetric reduction rolling

Four different routes of asymmetric reduction rolling were conducted on AZ31 magnesium alloy to investigate their effect on the microstructure evolution and mechanical properties. Route A is the forward rolling; while during routes B and C the sheets are rotated 180o in rolling direction and normal direction, respectively; route D is the unidirectional rolling. The strain states of rolled sheets were analyzed by the finite element method, while the microstructure and texture were observed using optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction and electron back-scattered diffraction techniques, and the mechanical properties were measured by tensile test. The results show that route D produced the largest effective strain. Compared with other samples, sample D exhibited a homogeneous microstructure with fine grains as well as a weak and tilted texture, in corresponding, it performed excellent tensile properties, which suggested that route D was an effective way to enhance the strength and plasticity of AZ31 sheet.