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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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