Effects of surface roughness on bending properties of rolled AZ31 alloy

This study investigated the effects of mechanical-polishing-induced surface roughness and the direction of polishing lines on the bending properties of a rolled AZ31 alloy.To this end,three-point bending tests were performed on one sample without polishing lines(SS sample)and two samples with polishing lines—one in which the polishing lines were parallel to the rolling direction(RS-RD sample)and the other in which they were parallel to the transverse direction(RS-TD sample).In all three samples,macrocracks were formed in the width direction on the outer surface,where tensile stress was predominantly generated in the longitudinal direction.However,the macrocracks formed in the SS sample were curved because of the merging of uniformly formed fine microcracks,whereas those formed in the RS-TD sample were linear owing to the formation of relatively coarse microcracks along the polishing lines.The bendability of the samples was in the order of SS>RS-RD>RS-TD,and their limiting bending depths were 4.8,4.6,and 4.4 mm,respectively.In the presence of mechanical-polishing-induced surface roughness,polishing lines perpendicular to the direction of the major stress(i.e.,tensile stress along the longitudinal direction)resulted in a greater degree of stress concentration on the outer surface of the bending specimen.This higher stress concentration promoted the formation of undesirable{10–11}contraction and{10–11}–{10–12}double twins—which typically act as crack initiation sites—and thereby facilitated crack generation and propagation.Consequently,the surface roughness caused premature fracture during bending deformation,which,in turn,caused deterioration of the bendability of the rolled Mg alloy.

Dynamical Solidification Behaviors and Metal Flow during Continuous Semisolid Extrusion Process of AZ31 Alloy

In this paper, a novel near-net-shape forming process, continuous semisolid extrusion process （CSEP） of AZ31 alloy was proposed, and the dynamical solidification behaviors and metal flow during the process were firstly investigated. During casting AZ31 alloy by this process, non-uniform microstructure distributions and non- equilibrium solidification region near the roll surface were found in the roll-shoe gap. Microstructural evolution from dendrite to rosette and spherical grains was observed during the casting by CSEP. Casting temperature, roll-shoe gap width and cooling ability have great effect on casting process and metal flow, so these factors should be carefully controlled, a proper casting temperature of 710-750℃ is suggested. The white α phases were strongly stretched during the processing, and the remnant liquids are correspondingly distributes along the solid phase boundaries and also show stripped lines.

The corrosion behavior of AZ31 alloy in chloride and sulfate media-A comparative study through electrochemical investigations

The magnesium alloys are considered to be the best structural materials,because of their advantageous weight to strength ratio.But,the limitation in their real field applications lies on the fact that magnesium alloys are highly susceptible for corrosion.The corrosion behaviour of AZ31 alloy was investigated by electrochemical methods in sodium chloride and sodium sulphate of different concentrations at different temperatures.The corrosion rate was monitored by potentiodynamic polarization technique and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy method.The surface morphology and surface composition of the freshly polished surface of the alloy was compared with that of the corroded surface by recording their SEM images and EDS,respectively.The results showed that the corrosion rate of AZ31 alloy increased with the increase in the temperature of the medium and also with the increase in the salt concentration of the medium.The activation parameters for the corrosion process were calculated and interpreted.

Effects of cerium on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ31 alloy

AZ31 alloy with Ce addition was studied. The influence of Ce contents on the microstructure and tensile properties of the alloy was analyzed. Ce addition results in the formation of AlzCe and the annealed microstructure is improved by the addition. There was no recrystallization of the alloy after rolling, however, it did occur after annealing. The alloy can be strengthened by adding Ce and the alloy with 1.05 wt.% Ce possessed the best synthetical properties of all the tested alloys. As rolled, σb and δof this alloy are 321 MPa and 6.9%, and as annealed, they are 259 MPa and 21.8%.

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.

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.

Characterization and modeling studies towards Al_(3)Ti/Mg interfaces in Ti reinforced AZ31 alloys

The interfaces between in-situ Al3Ti particles and magnesium(Mg)matrix are crucial role in highperformance titanium(Ti)reinforced AZ31 alloy.Herein,the interfaces between Al3Ti particles and the Mg matrix are fabricated and investigated using advanced characterization tools and first-principles calculations.The orientation relationship(OR)and atomic interface structure between the Al_(3)Ti particles and matrix are characterized using a high-resolution transmission electron microscope.The OR is determined to be(1010)Mg//(001)Al3Ti;[1213]Mg//[100]Al3Ti.Based on the characterized OR,the interface properties(including atomic structure,work of adhesion,interface energy,and fracture mechanism)are investigated using first-principles calculations.The relaxed interface structure indicates that the TiAl-terminated bridge site configurations(MT1)and hollow site configurations(HCP1)are unstable and would convert into other bridge site configurations(MT).Furthermore,the work of adhesion and interface energy suggests that Al-terminated hollow site configurations(HCP)and bridge site configurations(MT)are more stable than other configurations.In addition,the calculations of work of fracture show that fracture of the interfaces with Al-MT1,Al-HCP,and TiAl-MT configurations may initiate from bulk Mg interior.The findings may help to understand and tailor the deformation mechanisms and mechanical properties of Ti-reinforced Mg alloys.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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 equal channel angular pressing on AZ31 wrought magnesium alloys

AZ31 wrought magnesium alloys are light weight materials which play an important role in order to reduces the environmental burdens in modern society because of its high strength to weight ratio,corrosion resistance,and stiffness and machinability.Applications of this material are mainly in structural component i.e.,in constructions,automobile,aerospace,electronics and marine industries.In the present work,the microstructure characterization of the AZ31 alloys up to four ECAP passes at temperature of 573 K was observed for route Bc.Average grain size of the material was reduced from 31.8μm to 8μm after four ECAP passes.Mechanical properties of the alloy improved with increase in number of ECAP passes.Moreover,X-ray diffraction analysis was carried out for as received and ECAP processed material.

Improved tensile properties of AZ31 Mg alloy subjected to various caliber-rolling strains

A multi-pass caliber rolling has attracted attentions as an alternative to severe plastic deformation processes.The present study enhanced strength and ductility of AZ31 Mg alloy simultaneously through the application of caliber rolling.The improving trends in tensile properties were interpreted with various caliber-rolling strains.The oval/circular-shaped calibers imposed a high plastic strain at the center of crosssection,leading to effective grain refinement to submicron scale.This work also confirmed the texture randomizing effect of caliber rolling.Such microstructural evolutions gave rise to the fabrication of high-strength material.Moreover,the caliber-rolled AZ31 Mg alloys exhibited an improvement in ductility as compared to the as-received sheet-rolled material.This was discussed in terms of activation of non-basal slip systems and suppression of mechanical twinning.This study successfully proved the possibility of caliber rolling to produce a bulk Mg rod with enhanced tensile properties.

Exceptional mechanical properties of AZ31 alloy wire by combination of cold drawing and EPT

A 0.66 mm-diameter AZ31 alloy wire with ultimate tensile strength of 400 MPa and elongation of 28.5%was successfully prepared via the combination of cold-drawing and electropulsing treatment processing(EPT).Microstructure observation showed that the grain size of EPTed samples was refined to about 1μm and the basal texture strength with maxima texture index was weakened to 7.18.EPT can significantly accelerate recrystallization by enhancing the mobility of dislocation and atomic diffusion due to the coupling of the thermal and athermal effects.Finally,uniform ultrafine-grained structure was obtained in the EPTed samples by static recrystallization completed in a very short time(30 s)at relatively low temperature(433 K).

Process Parameter Optimizing and Studies on Microstructure and Properties of AZ31 Alloy Prepared by Semisolid Rolling Process

A novel continuous semisolid rolling process for producing AZ31 alloy strip was developed. The process parameters were optimized, and microstructure and properties of AZ31 alloy prepared by the process were studied. The results reveal that primary grains of the strip become coarse, and the grain structure transforms from round shape to dendrite with the increment of casting temperature gradually. Eutectic phase fraction and primary grain size increase with the increment of roll speed. The primary grain size decreases firstly and then increases with the increment of the vibration frequency correspondingly. When the casting temperature is from 650℃to 690℃, the roll speed is 0.069 m·s- 1, and the vibration frequency is about 80 Hz, AZ31 alloy strip with a cross section size of 4 mm×160 mm was prepared by the proposed process. The ultimate tensile strength and elongation are improved 1% and 57 %, respectively.

Microstructure,tensile properties and free bulge formability of Sr-and Y-containing AZ31 alloy sheet produced by twin-roll casting and sequential hot rolling

The effects of Sr and Y on microstructure,tensile property and free bulge formability of AZ31 alloy sheet produced by twin-roll casting and sequential hot rolling were investigated to improve the mechanical properties and formability of the AZ31 alloy.Sr and Y addition can form Al4 Sr,Al2 Y and Al3 Y phases which can impede dislocation movement and promote dynamic recrystallization during the rolling deformation and decrease the lattice resistance to dislocation motion by decreasing Al solubility in the alloy,resulting in finer grains,lower dislocation density and no twinning generating in the twin-roll casting and sequential hot rolling(TRC-HR)AZ31-1.3 Sr-1.0 Y alloy.The maximum stress and elongation of the alloy increase significantly after adding Sr and Y.The average cavity and grain sizes of the TRC-HR AZ31-1.3 Sr-1.0 Y alloy are smaller,resulting in higher elongation in the alloy.The addition of Y and Sr can effectively improve the free bulge formability and the thickness uniform of the alloy.The Al4 Sr,Al2 Y and A13 Y phases can inhibit the grain growth by obstructing dislocation motion or grain boundary slip,resulting in smaller grain size of AZ31-1.3 Sr-1.0 Y alloy bulge parts.

Effect of Temperature on the Dynamic Recrystallization of AZ31 Alloy with Pulse Current

The tensile tests of AZ31 magnesium alloy were carried out under room temperature, 100, 150 and 200 ℃ with andwithout pulse current. The effect of temperature on dynamic recrystallization （DRX） of AZ31 alloy was studied at differentconditions. One-parameter approach was used to analyze the critical conditions of DRX, the critical stress was obtainedunder different temperatures, and the related results were validated by metallography observation. The results showed thatDRX of AZ31 alloy occurred at 200 ℃ without pulse current. When pulse current with 150 Hz/50 V parameter wasapplied at room temperature, DRX occurred, while DRX was not completed until temperature over 150 ~C. With theanalysis result of critical conditions of DRX based on one-parameter approach, the relationship between critical stress andpeak stress obtained in this present study is σc = （0.746-0.773）σp.