Mechanism of microarc oxidation on AZ91D Mg alloy induced byβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12) phase

This work proposed a strategy of indirectly inducing uniform microarc discharge by controlling the content and distribution ofβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12)phase in AZ91D Mg alloy.Two kinds of nano-particles(ZrO_(2)and TiO_(2))were designed to be added into the substrate of Mg alloy by friction stir processing(FSP).Then,Mg alloy sample designed with different precipitated morphology ofβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12)phase was treated by microarc oxidation(MAO)in Na_(3)PO_(4)/Na2SiO3electrolyte.The characteristics and performance of the MAO coating was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy(SEM),energy dispersive spectrometer(EDS),X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS),contact angle meter,and potentiodynamic polarization.It was found that the coarseα-Mg grains in extruded AZ91D Mg alloy were refined by FSP,and theβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12)phase with reticular structure was broken and dispersed.The nano-ZrO_(2)particles were pinned at the grain boundary by FSP,which refined theα-Mg grain and promoted the precipitation ofβ-Mg_(17)Al_(12)phase in grains.It effectively inhibited the“cascade”phenomenon of microarcs,which induced the uniform distribution of discharge pores.The MAO coating on Zr-FSP sample had good wettability and corrosion resistance.However,TiO_(2)particles were hardly detected in the coating on TiFSP sample.

Effects of ultrasonic treatment on microstructures of AZ91 alloy

Effects of ultrasonic treatment on microstructures were investigated by introducing the ultrasonic oscillation into AZ91 alloy melts. The results show that the ultrasonic treatment does not change the phase composition but has great influence on solidification microstructures. The area percentage of lamellar eutectic phase increases to the maximum when the applied ultrasonic power is increased to 600 W and then decreases gradually with the further increase of power;meanwhile, the average area of Al8Mn5 phase owns a completely opposing variation trend. The area percentage of Mg17Al12 decreases gradually with increasing the applied ultrasonic power. Mechanisms accounted for the refinement and fraction of different intermetallic phases were also discussed.

Corrosion behavior of micro-arc oxidation coating on AZ91D magnesium alloy in NaCl solutions with different concentrations

Ceramic oxide coatings were prepared on AZ91D magnesium alloys in alkaline silicate solution using micro-arc oxidation（MAO） technique.The corrosion behavior of MAO coating on AZ91D magnesium alloys in NaCl solutions with different concentrations（0.1%,0.5%,1.0%,3.5% and 5.0% in mass fraction） was evaluated by electrochemical measurements and immersion tests.The results showed that the corrosion rate of the MAO coated AZ91D increased with increasing chloride ion concentration.The main form of corrosion failure was localized corrosion for the MAO coated AZ91D immersed in higher concentration NaCl solutions（1.0%,3.5% and 5.0%）,while it was general corrosion in dilute NaCl solutions（0.1% and 0.5%）.Two different stages of the failure process of the MAO coated AZ91D could be identified：1） occurrence of the metastable pits and 2） growth of the pits.Different equivalent circuits were also proposed based on the results of electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） for the MAO coated AZ91D immersed in different concentrations of NaCl solutions for 120 h.

Effect of cooling condition on microstructure of semi-solid AZ91 slurry produced via ultrasonic vibration process

The effects of cooling conditions on the microstructure of semi-solid AZ91 slurry produced via ultrasonic vibration process were investigated. AZ91 melts were subjected to ultrasonic vibration in different temperature ranges under different cooling rates. The results show that fine and spherical α-Mg particles are obtained under ultrasonic vibration at the nucleation stage, which is mainly attributed to the cavitation and acoustic streaming induced by the ultrasonic vibration. The reduction of lower limit of ultrasonic vibration temperature between the liquidus and solidus increases the solid volume fraction and average particle size. Increasing cooling rate increases the solid volume fraction and reduces the average shape factor of particles. The appropriate temperature range for ultrasonic vibration is from 605 °C to 595 °C or 590 °C, and the suitable cooling rate is 2-3 °C/min.

Effect of pouring and mold temperatures on hot tearing susceptibility of AZ91D and Mg-3Nd-0.2Zn-Zr Mg alloys

Pouring and mold temperatures are two important parameters during casting magnesium components. The present study examined their influence on hot tearing susceptibility （HTS） of commercial AZ91D and newly developed Mg-3Nd-0.2Zn-Zr （mass fraction, %; NZ30K） magnesium alloys in gravity permanent mold casting condition. The results indicate that mold temperature shows much more significant influence on the HTS of both alloys than pouring temperature whose influence only can be distinguished at low mold temperature （341 K for AZ91D alloy and 423 K for NZ30K alloy）. Hot tearing susceptibility prediction model concerning feeding parameters, grain size and solidification range, is more suitable to estimate the HTS of different magnesium alloys than the model only concerning feeding parameters. In order to achieve better hot tearing resistance, the ranges of pouring and mold temperatures are suggested to be 961-991 K and≥641 K for AZ91D alloy, 1003-1033 K and≥623 K for NZ30K alloy, respectively.

Effect of current frequency on properties of coating formed by microarc oxidation on AZ91D magnesium alloy

The microarc oxidation（MAO） coatings produced at different current frequencies on AZ91 D magnesium alloys were studied systematically. The morphologies, thickness, corrosion performances, and tribological properties of the coatings were investigated by the scanning electron microscopy, the electrochemical measurement system, and MS-T3000 friction test rig, respectively. The results show that the structure of the coatings becomes denser, and thickness becomes thinner with the increase of the current frequency. It is also found that the corrosion resistance of the coatings produced at higher frequency is improved greatly and the difference of the corrosion current density becomes small with increasing current frequency, which is similar to that of the coating thickness. The tribological test shows that the friction coefficient decreases with increasing the current frequency and the wear resistance of the coatings is influenced by both the thickness and structures. All these results were explained by analyzing the growing process of the MAO coating.

Hot extrusion of SiC_p/AZ91 Mg matrix composites

SiC particles reinforced AZ91 Mg matrix composites （SiCp/AZ91） with SiC volume fractions of 5%, 10% and 15% were fabricated by stir casting. After T4 treatment, these composites were extruded at 350 °C with an extrusion ratio of 12：1. In the as-cast composite, particles segregated at a microscopic scale within the intergranular regions. Hot extrusion almost eliminated this particle aggregation and improved the particle distribution of the composites. In addition, extrusion refined the grains of matrix. The results show that hot extrusion significantly improves the mechanical properties of the composites. In the as-extruded composite, with the increase of SiCp contents, the grain size of the extruded composites decreases, the strength and elastic modulus increase but the elongation decreases.

Dynamic recrystallization kinetics of as-cast AZ91D alloy

The flow behavior and dynamic recrystallization（DRX） behavior of an as-cast AZ91 D alloy were investigated systematically by applying the isothermal compression tests in temperature range of 220-380 ℃ and strain rate range of 0.001-1 s^-1.The effect of temperature and strain rate on the DRX behavior was discussed.The results indicate that the nucleation and growth of dynamic recrystallized grains easily occur at higher temperatures and lower strain rates.To evaluate the evolution of dynamic recrystallization,the DRX kinetics model was proposed based on the experimental data of true stress-true strain curves.It was revealed that the volume fraction of dynamic recrystallized grains increased with increasing strain in terms of S-curves.A good agreement between the proposed DRX kinetics model and microstructure observation results validates the accuracy of DRX kinetics model for AZ91 D alloy.

Microstructural evolution of AZ91 magnesium alloy during extrusion and heat treatment

Microstructural evolution of AZ91 magnesium alloy was investigated during homogenizing annealing treatment, hot extrusion and ageing treatment, respectively. The results exhibited that both the divorced eutectic β-Mg17Al12 and the precipitated β-Mg17Al12 phases appeared in the as-cast alloy. The β-Mg17Al12 phase dissolved into α-Mg matrix mostly and the structure kept fine after the optimized homogenization treatment at 380 °C for 15 h. Dynamic recrystallization and consequent grain refinement occurred during extrusion. The banded β-Mg17Al12 precipitates paralleled to the extrusion direction were observed after ageing treatment. The banded precipitation should be attributed to the solidification segregation which was elongated during the subsequent extrusion. Furthermore, the effects of temperature, holding time of homogenization and ageing treatment, and extrusion processing parameters on the microstructural evolution of AZ91 alloy were also discussed in details according to the experimental results.

Influence of electric parameters on MAO of AZ91D magnesium alloy using alternative square-wave power source

Micro-arc oxidation （MAO） process was carried out on AZ91D alloy in alkaline borate solution using an alternative square-wave power source with different parameters. The effects of voltage, frequency and duty cycle on the coatings were investigated by orthogonal experiment. It is found that the thickness of coatings increases with the increase of voltage and duty cycle, but decreases with the increase of frequency. The structure and morphology of the coatings also depend on voltage, frequency and duty cycle. The coatings become more porous and crack with increasing voltage and duty cycle. The coating is thin and transparent when the voltage is lower than 120 V. The corrosion resistances of different coatings were evaluated by polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） in 3.5% NaCl （mass fraction） solution. When the optimized values of voltage, frequency and duty cycle are 140 V, 2 000 Hz and 0.4, respectively, the anodic coating shows the best corrosion resistance.

Application of cyclic upsetting-extrusion to semi-solid processing of AZ91D magnesium alloy

The microstructural evolution of AZ91D magnesium alloy prepared by means of the cyclic upsetting-extrusion and partial remelting was investigated. The effects of remelting temperature and holding time on microstructure of semi-solid AZ91D magnesium alloy were studied. Furthermore, tensile properties of thixoextruded AZ91D magnesium alloy components were determined. The results show that the cyclic upsetting-extrusion followed by partial remelting is effective in producing semi-solid AZ91D magnesium alloy for thixofonning. During the partial remelting, with the increase of remelting temperature and holding time, the solid grain size increases and the degree of spheroidization tends to be improved. The tensile mechanical properties of thixoextruded AZ91D magnesium alloy components produced by cyclic upsetting-extrusion and partial remelting are better than those of the same alloy produced by casting.

Effects of processing parameters on microstructure of semi-solid slurry of AZ91D magnesium alloy prepared by gas bubbling

The semi-solid slurry of AZ91 D magnesium alloy was prepared by gas bubbling process.The effect of processing parameters,including gas flow rate,cooling rate and stirring end temperature,on microstructure of AZ91 D semi-solid slurry was investigated.With increasing the gas flow rate from 0 to 5 L/min,the average size of primary α-Mg particles decreases from 119.1 to77.2μm and the average shape factor increases continuously from 0.1 to 0.596.The formation of non-dendritic primary α-Mg particles during gas bubbling is the result of combined effects of dendrite fragmentation and copious nucleation.With increasing the cooling rate from 3.6 to 14.6℃/min,the average particle size of primary α-Mg phase decreases from 105.0 to 68.1μm while the average shape factor peaks at 9.1℃/min.Both high and low cooling rates can induce dendritic growth of primary α-Mg particles.Changing the stirring end temperature from 590 to 595℃ has little effect on the average size and shape factor of primary α-Mg particles in AZ91 D semi-solid slurry.The insensitivity of semi-solid microstructures to the stirring end temperature is attributed to the sufficient quantity of primary particles formed in the melt.

Preparation and performance of coating on rare-earth compounds-immersed magnesium alloy by micro-arc oxidation

A composite ceramic coating containing Y2O3-ZrO2-MgO（YSZ-MgO） was prepared on AZ91D magnesium alloy,which was immersed in Y（NO3）3 aqueous solution as pretreatment,by micro-arc oxidation（MAO） process.The morphology,elemental and phase compositions,corrosion behavior and thermal stability of the coatings were studied by SEM,EDX,XRD,electrochemical corrosion test,high temperature oxidation and thermal shock test.The results show that the coating mainly consists of ZrO2,Y2O3,MgO,Mg2SiO4,and MgF2.Among these compounds,Y2O3 accounts for 26.7% of（Y2O3 ＋ ZrO2）.The thickness of YSZ-MgO coating is smaller than that of ZrO2-MgO coating,but its compactness and surface roughness are better than those of ZrO2-MgO coating.YSZ-MgO coating has a good corrosion resistance,and its corrosion rate in 5% NaCl aqueous solution is lower than that of ZrO2-MgO and only about 8.5% of that of AZ91D magnesium alloy.After oxidation at 410 °C,the mass gain of AZ91D magnesium alloy presents a linear increase with the oxidation time.The YSZ-MgO coating and ZrO2-MgO coating can remarkably decrease the oxidation mass gain.The oxidation mass gain of YSZ-MgO coating is lower than that of ZrO2-MgO coating,especially during a long oxidation period.The thermal shock resistance of YSZ-MgO coating is superior to ZrO2-MgO coating.

Microstructure and property of rheocasting AZ91 slurry produced via ultrasonic vibration process

The microstructure and mechanical properties of rheocasting AZ91 magnesium alloy were investigated. The semisolid slurry of this alloy was prepared by ultrasonic vibration （USV） process and then shaped by high pressure diecasting （HPDC）. The results show that fine and spherical a-Mg particles were obtained by USV at the nucleation stage, which was mainly attributed to the cavitation and acoustic streaming induced by the USV. Extending USV treatment time increased the solid volume fraction and average particle size, the shape factors were nearly the same, about 0.7. Excellent semisolid slurry of AZ91 magnesium alloy could be obtained within 6 rain by USV near its liquidus temperature. The rheo-HPDC samples treated by USV for 6 min had the maximum ultimate tensile strength and elongation, which were 248 MPa and 7.4%, respectively. It was also found that the ductile fracture mode prevailed in the rheocasting AZ91 magnesium alloy.

Effects of on-line solution and off-line heat treatment on microstructure and hardness of die-cast AZ91D alloy

The effects of on-line solution, off-line solution and aging heat treatment on the microstructure and hardness of the die-cast AZ91D alloys were investigated. Brinell hardness of die-cast AZ91D alloy increases through on-line solution and off-line aging treatment but decreases after off-line solution treatment. By X-ray diffractometry, optical microscopy, differential thermal analysis, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy, it is found that the microstructures of the die-cast AZ91D magnesium alloy before and after on-line solution and off-line aging are similar, consisting of α-Mg and β-Al12Mg17. The precipitation of Al element is prevented by on-line solution so that the effect of solid solution strengthening is enhanced. The β-Al12Mg17 phases precipitate from supersaturated Mg solid solution after off-line aging treatment, and lead to microstructure refinement of AZ91D alloy, so the effect of precipitation hardening is enhanced. The β-Al12Mg17 phases dissolve in the substructure after off-line solution treatment, which leads to that the grain boundary strengthening phase is reduced significantly and the hardness of die cast AZ91D is reduced.

Low temperature mechanical property of AZ91D magnesium alloy fabricated by solid recycling process from recycled scraps

Low temperature mechanical properties of AZ91D magnesium alloy fabricated by solid recycling process from recycled scraps were studied. Various microstructural analyses were performed using optical microscopy （OM） and scanning electron microscopy （SEM）. The recycled specimens consist of fine grains due to dynamic recrystallization and the interfaces of original individual scraps are not identified. Tensile tests were performed at a strain rate of 5 x 10 3 s 1 at room temperature （27 ~C）, -70, -100 and 130 ~C, respectively. Ultimate tensile strength of the specimens increases slightly with decreasing the tensile temperature, and elongation to failure decreases with decreasing the tensile temperature. The tensile specimens at -130 ~C show the highest ultimate tensile strength of 360.65 MPa and the lowest elongation to failure of 5.46%. Impact tests were performed at room temperature （27 ~C）, -70 and -130 ~C, respectively. Impact toughness decreases with decreasing the impact temperature. The impact specimens at -130 ~C show the lowest impact toughness of 3.06 J/cm2.

Microstructure characteristics and solidification behavior of thixomolded Mg-9%Al-1%Zn alloy

Experimental investigation and theoretical analysis of the microstructure of thixomolded AZ91D were carried out to comprehensively understand the morphology transformation of solid particles and the solidification behavior. Typical microstructure of thixomolded AZ91D is composed of a-Mg and β-Mg17Al12, characterized with aun, aprim and eutectic. Four kinds of aun are classified according to the morphology and generation mechanism, such as spherical （al）, irregular （a2）, entrapping liquid alloy inside （a3） and entrapping pool inside （a4）. Under the effect of heating, shearing, collision, agglomeration or fragmentation, a2 and a4 can be the middle states ofal and a3. Similarly, a4 and a3 can also break into a2 and become al at the end. Controlled by undercooling, aprim nucleates and spherically grows within the remaining liquid alloy of thixomolded AZ91D until instability growth. The investigated microstructure was theoretically proved according to the analysis of Mg-Al binary phase diagram.

Microstructure evolution of hot pressed AZ91D alloy chips reheated to semi-solid state

AZ91D magnesium alloy chips, which were directly collected on the spot of machining process, were recycled to prepare billet via hot pressing for semi-solid processing. The semi-solid microstructure evolution of the billet during reheating was investigated. The results indicate that there are three stages during reheating to semi-solid state: the dissolution of Mg17Al12 and diffusion of Al into α-Mg matrix, the melting of the region with high content of solute and formation of isolated solid particles, and spheroidization and growth of solid particles. Meanwhile, a number of entrapped liquid droplets form within solid particles. In addition, the number and size of entrapped liquid droplets rely on the holding time in the semi-solid temperature range. With increasing isothermal holding time, the solid fraction remains unchanged when the solid-liquid system reaches the dynamic equilibrium at last, while the solid particles become more globular and the average size of solid particles increases owing to the decreasing of interfacial energy and the effect of interfacial tension.

Effects of pouring temperature and cylinder temperature on microstructures and mechanical properties of rheomoulding AZ91D alloy

An advanced rheomoulder,which is a device in the integration of melting metal,storage,slurry preparation,transportation and injection forming,was introduced and used to manufacture rheomoulding AZ91 D alloy.Effects of pouring temperature and cylinder temperature on microstructures and mechanical properties of rheomoulding AZ91 D alloy were investigated.The results show that the process can obtain such rheomoulding AZ91 D in which primary α-Mg particles are fine,spherical and uniformly distributed in the matrix.With the decrease of pouring temperature,the morphology of primary α-Mg particles changes from coarse rosette-like to fine spherical shape gradually.As the cylinder temperature decreases,the average size of primary α-Mg particles decreases firstly and then substantially maintains stable while the sphericity and solid fraction increase continuously.Also,decreasing pouring temperature or cylinder temperature properly contributes to improving mechanical properties of rheomoulding AZ91 D for the refinement of α-Mg particles and the decrease of porosity fraction.Furthermore,rheomoulding AZ91 D performs much better than thixomoulding,rheo-diecasting and high pressure die-casting（HPDC） in terms of mechanical properties.Compared with HPDC,the tensile strength,yield strength and elongation are increased by 27.8%,15.7% and 121%,respectively.

Homogenization pretreatment and electroless Ni-P plating on AZ91D magnesium alloy

Electroless nickel plating on AZ91D substrate with a new and eco-friendly pretreatment process based on tuning an electrochemical homogeneous surface was investigated. The morphology, deposition process, chemical composition and microstructure of Ni-P coating were studied. It is indicated that β phases are selectively removed, producing a microstructural homogeneous surface and the subsequent uniform and compact Zn immersion layer. A defect-free and well adhesive Ni-P coating can be successfully obtained due to its uniform nucleation and growth based on such pretreatment. Potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy （EIS） tests reveal that Ni-P coating could significantly improve the corrosion resistance of AZ91D substrate.