Effect of pre-homogenizing treatment on microstructure and mechanical properties of hot-rolled AZ91 magnesium alloys

To improve the homogeneity and rolling formability of as-cast AZ91 magnesium,the effects of pre-homogenizing treatment on microstructure evolution,deformation mechanism,mechanical properties and tensile fracture morphology of hot-rolled AZ91 magnesium alloy were studied.The results showed that the amount of coarseβ-Mg17Al12 phase decreases dramatically,being distributed along the grain boundaries as small strips after homogenizing.Twining plays a dominant role in the deformation mechanism of AZ91 alloys in the experimental condition,while dynamic recrystallization(DRX)considerably occurred in homogenized-rolled alloys,contributed to microstructure uniformity andβ-Mg17Al12 phase precipitated refinement.The tensile strength of homogenized-rolled AZ91 alloys increases dramatically with elongation declining slightly in contrast to homogenized alloys.The fracture surface of homogenized-rolled specimen exhibits more ductile fracture with the manifestation of a large amount of dimples distributing higher density in matrix,while the micro cracks are prone to initiate around the Mg/Mg17Al12 phase interface and grain boundaries owing to the fragile interface bonding of two phases.

Release rate kinetics of corrosion inhibitor loaded halloysite nanotube-based anticorrosion coatings on magnesium alloy AZ91D

Halloysite nanotubes were used as nanocontainers to hold corrosion inhibitors such as Ce^(3+)-Zr^(4+),2-mercaptobenzothiazole and 8-hydroxyquinoline in their lumen.An acid assisted etching of the nanotubes was carried out with a view to increase the lumen diameter and thereby,increase the amount of loading of the corrosion inhibitor.The morphology of as-received and etched halloysite nanotubes was ob-served using TEM analysis.The loading of corrosion inhibitors was confirmed using SEM-EDS and BET analysis.Polymeric microcapsules were used as capping agents for the ends of the loaded HNTs following which,they were dispersed into a hybrid sol-gel silica matrix.Dip coating method was used to generate coatings on AZ91D substrates followed by heat treatment at 130℃ for 1 h.The release rate kinetics of corrosion inhibitors from as-received and etched nanotubes was investigated in buffer solutions of 3.5 wt%NaCl at different pH.The release mechanism of corrosion inhibitors from the HNT lumen was validated using various semi-empirical models.Coatings were also evaluated for their corrosion protection ability using electrochemical techniques after exposure to 3.5 wt%NaCl solution for 120 h.Coatings generated using Ce^(3+)-Zr^(4+)loaded into as-received halloysite nanotubes have shown more effective corrosion protection when compared to other corrosion inhibitors after 120 h exposure to the corrosive medium.

Research on semi-solid thixoforming process of AZ91D magnesium alloy brackets for generators in JH70-type motorbikes

The investment on semi-solid die casting processes of AZ91D magnesium alloy brackets for generators in JH70-type motorbikes is introduced. The processes of low super-heat and cooling slope for the preparation of billets with non-dendritic microstructure, the remelting of billets for thixoforming and the parameters in the process of semi-sohd thixoforming have been researched. The results show that primary billets with non-dendritical structures can be prepared by forming great amount of nuclei in melt via the process of low super heat. By optimizing the remelting process through adjusting the current of the induced equipment, semi-solid billets with a structure of spherical grains were obtained from the primary billets with non-dendritical structure. The range of 580℃ to 583℃ is the proper remelting temperatures by which the billets have an expected thixotropy and can be transferred to a die-casting machine. The optimized parameters of semi-solid forming in a die-casting machine are as follows： the area of the ingate in the die is 383.5 mm^2, the speed of the pierce of the machine 5 m/s, the shot pressure of the pierce 75 MPa, and the maintenance pressure of the pierce 350 MPa. The castings of brackets for supporting generators in JH70 type motorbikes were formed by adopting the optimized processes and parameters mentioned above.

Microstructure of Cu-based Amorphous Composite Coatings on AZ91D Magnesium Alloy by Laser Cladding

To improve the sliding wear resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloy, Cu-based amorphous composite coatings made of CuaTTi34Zr11Nis and Cu47Ti34Zr11Ni8＋20 wt pct SiC powders were fabricated on AZ91D magnesium alloy by laser cladding, respectively. SEM （scanning electron microscopy）, EDS （energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy）, XRD （X-ray diffraction） and TEM （transmission electron microscopy） techniques were employed to study the phases of the coatings. The results show that the coatings mainly consist of amorphous phase and different intermetallic compounds. The reason of formation of amorphous phase and the function of SiC particles were explained in details.

High strain rate superplasticity of rolled AZ91 magnesium alloy

The high strain rate superplastic deformation properties and characteristics of a rolled AZ91 magnesium alloy at temperatures ranging from 623 to 698 K（0.67Tm-0.76Tm） and high strain rates ranging from 10^-3 to 1 s^-1 were investigated.The rolled AZ91 magnesium alloy possesses excellent superplasticity with the maximum elongation of 455% at 623 K and a strain rate of 10-3 s-1,and its strain rate sensitivity m is high up to 0.64.The dominant deformation mechanism responsible for the high strain rate superplasticity is still grain boundary sliding（GBS）,and the dislocation creep mechanism is considered as the main accommodation mechanism.

Microstructures and tensile properties of submerged friction stir processed AZ91 magnesium alloy

6 mm thick AZ91 casting alloy plates were subjected to normal friction stir processing(NFSP,in air)and submerged friction stir processing(SFSP,under water),and microstructures and tensile properties of the experimental materials were investigated.After FSP,the coarse microstructures in the as-cast condition are replaced by fine and equiaxed grains and the network-like eutecticβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12)phases disappear and are changed into particles pinned at the grain boundaries.SFSP results in further grain refinement in comparison with NFSP,and the average grain sizes of the NFSP and SFSP alloys are 8.4±1.3 and 2.8±0.8µm,respectively.XRD results reveal that the intensity ofβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12)diffraction peaks in the SFSP specimen decreases compared with NFSP.Due to significant grain refinement,the tensile strength and elongation of the SFSP AZ91 alloy are increased from 262 MPa and 18.9%for the NFSP material to 282 MPa and 25.4%,and the tensile strength(282 MPa)is nearly three times that of the BM(105 MPa).SFSP is an effective approach to refine the grain size and enhance the tensile properties of AZ91 casting alloy.

Effect of RE on the ignition-proof, microstructure and properties of AZ91D magnesium alloy

The magnesium alloy is prone to burn during die-casting, which limits its applications severely, so the effect of adding rare earth （RE） on the ignition-proof of AZ91D Mg alloy is studied. The results indicate that the addition of mischmetal RE elements has a remarkable influence on the ignition-proof property of the magnesium alloy. It is found that the ignition temperature of the magnesium alloy can be greatly raised by adding a proper amount of RE. When the amount is 0.1wt%, the ignition temperature reaches 877℃ which is 206℃ higher than that of AZ91D without RE and the mechanical properties of the alloy are also improved, However, the amount of RE must be properly controlled because too much RE would induce grain coarsening and reduce the mechanical properties.

EFFECTS OF Ce ON CORROSION RESISTANCE OF AZ91D MAGNESIUM ALLOY

As-cast and corrosive microstructures of AZ91D alloy containing various Ce contents were observed by optical microscope (OM). The phase compositions of the alloys before and after the corrosion were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). Meanwhile, the corrosion resistance of the alloys was tested by weight loss and potentiodynamic polarization curve methods respectively. The results show that rod-like Al4Ce phase is formed in AZ91D alloy containing certain Ce content and as-cast microstructures are refined. AZ91D-0.7%Ce alloy has good grain refinement effect. The addition of Ce can reduce the corrosion rate and corrosion current density of AZ91D alloy and those of AZ91D-0.1%Ce alloy reach the minimum, which are 0.35mg/(cm2·d) and 2.761μA/cm2 with 75% and 86% reduction, respectively. The increasing volume fraction and reticular degree of β phase can improve the corrosion resistance of the alloys.

Effect of tool plunge depth on the microstructure and fracture behavior of refill friction stir spot welded AZ91 magnesium alloy joints

We used refill friction stir spot welding(RFSSW)to join 2-mm-thick AZ91D-H24 magnesium alloy sheets,and we investigated in detail the effect of tool plunge depth on the microstructure and fracture behavior of the joints.A sound joint surface can be obtained using plunge depths of 2.0 and 2.5 mm.Plunge depth was found to significantly affect the height of the hook,with greater plunge depths corresponding to more severe upward bending of the hook,which compromised the tensile-shear properties of the joints.The hardness reached a minimum at the thermo-mechanically affected zone due to the precipitation phases of this zone as it dissolved into theα-matrix during the welding process.The fracture modes of RFSSW joints can be divided into three types:shear fracture,plug fracture,and shear–plug fracture.Of these,the joint with a shear–plug fracture exhibited the best tensile-shear load of 6400 N.

Hot deformation behavior and microstructure evolution of as-cast AZ91D magnesium alloy without pre-homogenization treatment

The deformation behavior and the microstruc-ture evolution of as-cast AZ91D magnesium alloy without pre-homogenization treatment were systematically inves-tigated. The flow stress behavior was studied by com-pression tests in strain rate range of 0.001-1.000 s^-1 and deformation temperature range of 220-380 ℃ with a maximum deformation strain of 60 %. The dependence of flow stress on deformation temperature and strain rate was described by hyperbolic sine constitutive equation. Through regression analysis, the average apparent activa- tion energy and coefficient of strain rate sensitivity were estimated to be 181.98 kJ.mol^-1 and 0.14, respectively. The results also reveal that the variation of peak stress depends on strain rate and deformation temperature. Microstructure observation shows that, at temperatures higher than 300 ℃ and strain rates lower than 0.01 s^-1, DRX developed extensively at the grain boundaries and in the core of coarse grains, resulting in a more homogeneous microstructure. Furthermore, the effects of strain, defor-mation temperature, strain rate, and eutectic β phase on the microstructure evolution of as-cast AZ91D magnesium alloy were discussed.

Evaluation of self-healing properties of inhibitor loaded nanoclay-based anticorrosive coatings on magnesium alloy AZ91D

This study emphasizes on the evaluation and comparison of the anticorrosive properties of sol-gel coatings with and without inhibitor loaded nanocontainers.In this case,naturally available clay nanotubes(halloysite)were loaded with cationic corrosion inhibitors Ce 3+/Zr 4+.These nanocontainers were dispersed in hybrid organic-inorganic sol-gel matrix sol.Coating was applied on magnesium alloy AZ91D using the sols containing modified and unmodified nanocontainers employing the dip coating method and cured at 130℃for 1 h in air.Corrosion resistance of coated/uncoated substrates were analyzed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,potentiodynamic polarization and weight loss measurements after exposure to 3.5 wt%NaCl solution for varying time durations between 24 h to 120 h.Self-healing ability of coatings was evaluated by micro-Raman spectroscopy after 120 h exposure to 3.5 wt%NaCl solution.Coatings generated after dispersion of corrosion inhibitor loaded clay in hybrid sol-gel matrix have shown more promising corrosion resistance when compared to just the sol-gel matrix coatings,after prolonged exposure to corrosive environment.

Influence of chemical composition on corrosion resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloy ingots

The influence of chemical composition on corrosion resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloys ingots has been investigated. Mass loss method was applied to evaluate the corrosion resistance of AZ91D alloys and the data were analyzed by multiple regression. The results show that the corrosion resistance of this alloy can be improved by increasing Al, Zn and Mn in a certain degree, and will drop with increasing Si and heavy metals (Fe, Cu, Ni). It is found that ingots received from company F should be listed into unusable materials in terms of the corrosion resistance, while among the five suppliers, the only local company E supplied excellent AZ91D magnesium alloy ingots with the best corrosion resistance.

Effects of rare earth elements on the microstructure and properties of magnesium alloy AZ91D

The effects of rare earth elements on the microstructure andproperties of magnesium alloy AZ91D alloy were studied. The differentproportion of rare earth elements was added to the AZ91D and thetensile tests were carried out at different temperatures. Theexperimental results show that at room temperature or at 120 deg. Cthe AZ91D's strength decrease with the increasing amount of the rareearth elements. However, the ductility is improved. The influence of0.14/100Sb(mass fraction)on the AZ91D's strength is like that of rareearth elements(0.2/100-0.4/100)(mass fraction). Microstructure graphsdemonstrate that appropriate amount of rare earth elements(0.1/100-0.2/100)can fine AZ91D's grain and improve its ductility.

Refinement Role of Electromagnetic Stirring and Calcium in AZ91 Magnesium Alloy

Effects of calcium addition and electromagnetic stirring on the microstructure of AZ91 magnesium alloy and refinement mechanism were investigated. The results show that calcium addition ranging from 0.1wt% to 0.3 wt% does not lead to formation of any new phases but cause the refinement of ascast microstructure.However, combined calcium alloying and electromagnetic stirring significantly decrease the grain size, change the morphologies of the β-Mg17Al12 phases,and reduce their volume percentage. The minimum grain size of AZ91 alloy is obtained in the case of the addition of 0.2 wt%Ca with exciting voltage of 100 V. The microstructural refinement is attributed to the increase of the degree of undercooling and nucleation temperature of primary α-Mg phases on the basis of DTA analysis results.

Microstructure and tensile properties of thixo-diecast AZ91D magnesium alloy

The thixo-diecasting(TDC)process is the combination of semi-solid billet preparation technology and die casting technology.The TDC process not only keeps the characteristics of thixo-forming but also has high efficiency and low cost.In the present work,the microstructures and mechanical properties of an AZ91D magnesium alloy prepared by the thixo-diecasting(TDC)process were characterized in as-cast condition.The TDC alloy produced exhibits a unique microstructure containingα-Mg solid solution andβ-Mg17Al12intermetallic compound,and there are some small droplets and a small gray globule with eutectic structure in the primaryα-Mg grains.The ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the TDC alloy also increase in comparison with other processes,such as thixocasting.Fracture surface observation shows that a crack mainly originates from the brittle fracture of the eutectic phases.The deformation of ductileα-Mg phase provides the TDC alloy with the main strain.

The Role of Calcium in Microstructural Refinement of AZ91 Magnesium Alloy

The effect of calcium addition on the microstructures of AZ91 magnesium alloy was investigated. It was found that a small amount of calcium in AZ91 allay produced a large decrease in the α- Mg grain size and the dispersed fine β-Mgt7 Alt2 phases. In addition, some Al4Ca particles were found to exist in the AZ91 alloy containing 0.5wt% Ca. EDS analysis and water-quenched technique revealed that the grain-refining mechanism of calcium for the AZ91 alloys was mainly attributed to the role of restricting growth of calcium in the primary α-Mg crystals.

Influence of Cerium on Corrosion of AZ91 Magnesium Alloy

Effect of cerium addition on corrosion resistance of AZ91 magnesium alloy was investigated using the static weight loss and polarization curve method as well as metallographical observation. The results indicate that a small amount of cerium （0.2% - 0.8%） in AZ91 magnesium alloy can significantly reduce the corrosion rate, enhance the electrode voltage and lower corrosion current density in 3.5%NaCl aqueous solution, and AZ91-0.8% Ce alloy has better corrosion resistant performance. The reason for increasing corrosion resistance is attributed to the addition of Ce, refining the α-Mg grain, reducing the segregation of element Al, and improving the morphologies of β-Mg17 Al12 phases.

Effect of Adding Extruded Mg-Mischmetal Intermediate Alloy on Microstructure and Properties of Die-Casting Magnesium Alloy AZ91D

The preparation techniques of Mg-mischmetal intermediate alloy and the effects of the mischmetal addition ranging from 0.45% to 1.04% on the microstructure and properties of AZ91D alloy prepared by die casting were investigated. The Mg-MM intermediate alloy was prepared by permanent mold casting and then was extruded into the bars. The microstructure and analytical studies were carried out using optical microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). Testing results shows the Mg-MM intermediate alloy could melt easily down at die casting temperature of 680 ℃ that was lower than the melting point of lanthanum (918 ℃) and that of cerium (798 ℃). This was propitious to protection the alloy from the oxidation at high temperatures. Then magnesium alloy test bars were produced under conventional cold chamber die casting condition with addition of different weight of the Mg-MM intermediate alloy. Observation and analysis indicated that the microstructures of the alloy were refined and RE containing Al phase was formed with increasing RE addition. The data obtained by tensile tests showed that alloying with mischmetal improved the tensile property of the AZ91D magnesium die casting alloy at ambient temperature.

Study on Ignition-Proof AZ91D Magnesium Alloy Added with Rare Earth

Magnesium alloy is prone to burning during its melting and casting processes in air, which is a major factor of obstructing its application. Fluxes and cover gases are currently used for the melting and production processes, and semi-solid casting is also used to shape composites made of magnesium alloy, but there still remain many problems. Alloying is a promising method of preventing magnesium from burning. The effect of RE additions on the ignition temperature of AZ91D magnesium alloy was investigated. The changes of the quality of oxidation film and the as-cast microstructure were analyzed, and the mechanical property was compared with that without rare earth. For AZ91D with RE in the range of 0.08% to 0.12%. It is shown that the ignition temperature point can be greatly heightened, the quality of oxidation film is obviously improved, the as-cast microstructure is refined greatly, and the mechanical property is bettered a little, therefore, such an alloy is promising.

Effect of process parameters on depth of penetration and topography of AZ91 magnesium alloy in abrasive water jet cutting

In the present study,the influence of dynamic process parameters such as water pressure,traverse speed and abrasive mass flow rate on depth of penetration and surface topography in high strength AZ91 magnesium alloy were investigated using Abrasive Water Jet(AWJ)cutting technology.Process parameters were varied at 3 levels and influences of each parameter on penetration ability were identified using analysis of variance(ANOVA).Contribution of water pressure and traverse speed on jet penetration found higher compared to abrasive mass flow rate.Profile projector was used to measure depth of penetration.Microstructural features and topography of cut surfaces were examined using Scanning Electron Microscopy(SEM).Micro cutting and ploughing were observed on the top and bottom portion of the cut which were similar to that of modes of deformation in other ductile materials like aluminium and steel.Surface roughness of cut surfaces was measured using Taylor Hobson surface roughness tester.Surface roughness found higher at higher traverse speeds and lower at lower traverse speeds.This study also highlights the suitability of AWJ cutting technology for cutting magnesium and its alloys.