Low temperature quasi-superplasticity of ZK60 alloy prepared by reciprocating extrusion

Fine-grained ZK60 alloy was prepared by 2-pass reciprocating extrusion, and the low temperature superplasticity was conducted in a temperature range from 443 to 523 K and an initial strain rate ranging from 3.3×10^-4 to 3.3×10-2^s^-1. The results show that the alloy has an equiaxed grain structure with an average grain size of about 5.0μm, and the sizes of broken secondary particles and precipitates are no more than 175 and 50 nm, respectively. The alloy exhibits quasi-superplasticity with a maximum elongation of 270% at 523 K and an initial strain rate of 3.3×10^-4 s^-1. The strain rate sensitivity m is less than 0.2 at 443 and 473 K, and it is 0.42 at 523 K. The apparent activation energies at temperature below 473 K and at 523 K are less than 63.2 and 110.6 kJ/mol, respectively At temperature below 473 K, mainly intragranular sliding contributes to superplastic flow. At 523 K, grain boundary sliding is the dominant deformation mechanism, and dislocation creep controlled by grain boundary diffusion is considered to be the main accommodation mechanism.

Effect of pre-rolling path on mechanical properties of rolled ZK60 alloys

Pre-cold rolling with low reductions(<3%)was used to improve the mechanical properties of rolled ZK60 plates.The effects of rolling path on mechanical properties were investigated in detail.Both pre-cold rolling along the transverse direction(TD)and pre-cold rolling along the normal direction(ND)can increase the yield strength.However,pre-cold rolling along the TD is more effective than pre-cold rolling along the ND in improving the comprehensive mechanical properties.After pre-cold rolling to 3%reduction,the sample rolled along the TD and the sample rolled along the ND have similar tensile yield strength(~270 MPa).However,the former has a higher compressive yield strength,lower yield asymmetry and larger toughness than the latter.Moreover,pre-cold rolling can also enhance precipitation hardening effect.However,aging treatment cannot further improve the yield strength of pre-cold rolled samples.Finally,the related mechanism is discussed.

Effects of cerium on microstructure and mechanical properties of ZK60 alloy

ZK60-xcerium alloys were studied,where x mass fraction is 0, 0.52%, 0.94%, 1.51% and 1.98%, respectively. Influence of Ce contents and heat-treatment on microstructure and tensile properties was analyzed. The results show that cast ZK60 alloy containing no Ce has coarse crystal grains, and lots of segregation aggregates around the grain-boundary. However, the alloys containing Ce have refined grains, and grain-boundaries are purified at the same time. Obvious dynamic recrystallization occurs in tested alloys after hot-extrusion. Tensile strength heightens with the increase of Ce content, and grows higher after aging at 150℃ for 024 h （T5 treatment）. Comparing tensile properties of investigated alloys in different states, it can be concluded that synthetical properties of the alloy with 1.51% Ce addition is the best of all. In extruded state, σb and δ of this alloy are 318.6 MPa and 14.4%, respectively. After aging for 24 h ,σb is 338.6 MPa and δ is 15.6%.

Effect of grain boundary energy anisotropy on grain growth in ZK60 alloy using a 3D phase-field modeling

A three-dimensional(3D)multiple phase field model,which takes into account the grain boundary(GB)energy anisotropy caused by texture,is established based on real grain orientations and Read-Shockley model.The model is applied to the grain growth process of polycrystalline Mg(ZK60)alloy to investigate the evolution characteristics in different systems with varying proportions of low-angle grain boundary(LAGB)caused by different texture levels.It is found that the GB energy anisotropy can cause the grain growth kinetics to change,namely,higher texture levels(also means higher LAGB proportion)result in lower kinetics,and vice versa.The simulation results also show that the topological characteristics,such as LAGB proportion and distribution of grain size,undergo different evolution characteristics in different systems,and a more serious grain size fluctuation can be caused by a higher texture level.The mechanism is mainly the slower evolution of textured grains in their accumulation area and the faster coarsening rate of non-textured grains.Therefore,weakening the texture level is an effective way for implementing a desired homogenized microstructure in ZK60 Mg alloy.The rules revealed by the simulation results should be of great significance for revealing how the GB anisotropy affects the evolution of polycrystalline during the grain growth after recrystallization and offer the ideas for processing the alloy and optimizing the microstructure.

Effect of Mg-Zn-Nd spherical quasi-crystals on microstructure and mechanical properties of ZK60 alloy

To improve the strength, toughness, heat-resistance and deformability of magnesium alloy, the microstructure and mechanical properties of ZK60 alloy strengthened by Mg-Zn-Nd spherical quasi-crystal phase (I-phase) particles were investigated. Mg40Zn55Nd5 (I-phase) particles in addition to α-Mg, MgZn phase and MgZn2 phases can be obtained in ZK60-based composites under normal casting condition by the addition of quasi-crystal containing Mg-Zn-Nd master alloy. The experimental results show that the introduction of Mg-Zn-Nd spherical quasi-crystal phase into ZK60 alloy makes a great contribution to the refinement of the matrix microstructures and the improvement of mechanical properties. While adding Mg-Zn-Nd spherical quasi-crystal master alloy of 4.0wt.%, the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of ZK60-based composite at ambient temperature reach their peak values of 256.7 MPa and 150.4 MPa, which were about 17.8% and 24.1% higher respectively than those of the ZK60 alloy. The improved mechanical properties are mainly attributed to the pinning effect of the quasi-crystal particles (I-phase) at the grain boundaries. This research results provide a new way for strengthening and toughening of magnesium alloys as well as a new application of Mg-based spherical quasi-crystals.

Microstructure comparison of ZK60 alloy under casting,twin roll casting and hot compression

The microstructures of ZK60 alloy under conventional direct as-casting (DC),twin roll casting (TRC) and twin roll casting followed by hot compression (TRC-HC) were analyzed by optical morphology (OM),electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and X-ray diffraction (XRD).The deformation condition of hot compression is 350 ℃,0.1 s?1.The microstructural evolution under TRC-HC deformation followed by annealing at different temperatures and time was discussed.The results show that TRC provides more modified microstructure compared with DC.Twins are found in TRC processing;dynamic recrystallization (DRX),shear bands and twins are found in TRC-HC.A short annealing time has little effect on hardness,while during a long time annealing,it is found that low annealing temperatures increase the micro-hardness and high temperature decreases it.

Effects of Bi on the microstructure and mechanical property of ZK60 alloy

Microstructures and phase compositions of as-cast and extruded ZK60-xBi(x=0-1.64)alloys were investigated.Meanwhile,the tensile mechanical property and hardness were tested.With increasing the Bi content,the as-cast microstructure is first refined obviously,and then becomes coarse slightly.New small block compound which is rich in Zr,Zn,Bi and poor in Mg increases gradually,and MgZn_(2) phase decreases gradually.The second phase mainly precipitates along the grain boundary.The as-cast tensile mechanical property is first enhanced obviously,where the tensile strengthσb,yield strengthσ0.2 and elongationδcan reach 265 MPa,151 MPa and 13.5%for ZK60-0.23Bi alloy,respectively,then remains the high value for ZK60-(0.37-1.09)Bi alloys,and finally decreases obviously for ZK60-1.64Bi alloy.After hot extrusion,the obvious dynamic recrystallization occurs.Broken block compound distributes along the extrusion direction by zonal shape.The average grain size can reach only 4-6μm.The extruded tensile mechanical property is enhanced significantly,where σ_(b),σ_(0.2) and δ are at the range of 345-360 MPa,285-300 MPa and 15.5-19.5%,respectively.Extruded tensile fracture exhibits a typical character of ductile fracture.

Property and microstructure analysis of ZK60 alloy superplastic sheet

It was investigated that the superplastic mechanical properties of fine-grained ZK60 magnesium alloy sheets at the temperature range of 200-420 ℃ and strain rate range of 5.56 × 10-4 -5.56 ×10-2 s-1 by tensile tests.And the microstructure evolution during the superplastic deformation of ZK60 magnesium alloy was examined by metallurgical microscope and transmission electronic microscope (TEM).The results showed that fine-grained ZK60 magnesium alloy starts to exhibit superplasticity from 250 ℃ and the maximum elongation is about 1106% at 400 ℃ and 5.56 × 10-4 s-1.The strain rate sensitivity is significantly enhanced with the increase of temperature and with the decrease of strain rate.The predominate superplastic mechanism of ZK60 magnesium alloy is grain boundary slide (GBS) at the temperature range of 300-400 ℃.The grains of ZK60 alloy remain equaxial after superplastic deformation,and dynamic continuous recrystallization (DCRX) is an important softening mechanism and grain stability mechanism during the superplastic deformation of the alloy.The curved grain boundaries and crumpled bands at grain boundaries after deformation prove GBS generates during superplastic deformation of ZK60 magnesium alloy.

Oxidation behaviour of molten ZK60 and ME20 magnesium alloys with magnesium in 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane/air atmospheres

The oxidation behaviour of molten ZK60 and ME20 magnesium alloys in 1% 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane/air atmospheres at 720 °C was compared with that of molten magnesium. The oxidation kinetics of these three melts was determined by thermograyimetric measuring instrument, and the surface films of the oxidized samples were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results show that the oxidation rate of molten ZK60 or ME20 alloys is much lower than that of molten magnesium in 1% 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane/air atmospheres. The surface film formed on the molten magnesium is composed of MgF2, MgO and C, while the film formed on ZK60 melt mainly consists of MgF2, MgO, C and some ZrF4, and the film on ME20 mainly consists of MgF2, MgO, C and a small amount of CeF4. The good oxidation resistances of ZK60 and ME20 alloy melts may be caused by their major alloying elements Zr and Ce, respectively.

Liquation cracking in laser beam welded joint of ZK60 magnesium alloy

The ZK60 magnesium alloy plates were welded by laser beam welding (LBW) and the microstructures in the partially melted zone (PMZ) of welded joints were investigated. For the as-cast alloy, the eutectoid mixtures along grain boundaries (GBs) in the PMZ are liquefied during welding, and their re-solidified materials present hypoeutectic characters, which lead to more severe segregation of the Zn element along GBs, and thus enhance the cracking tendency of the PMZ. The main reasons for liquation cracking of PMZ are described as that the absence of liquid at the terminal stage of solidification leads to the occurrence of shrinkage cavities in PMZ, from which liquation cracking initiates, and propagates along the weakened GBs under the tensile stress originating from solidification shrinkage and thermal contraction. Lower heat input can reduce the cracking tendency, and the plastic processing such as rolling also contributes to the mitigation of PMZ liquation cracking by reducing the size of eutectoid phases and changing their distribution in the base metal.

Finite element analysis of strain distribution in ZK60 Mg alloy during cyclic extrusion and compression

Finite element method was used to study the strain distribution in ZK60 Mg alloy during multi-pass cyclic extrusion and compression （CEC）. In order to optimize the CEC processing, the effects of friction condition and die geometry on the distribution of total equivalent plastic strain were investigated. The results show that the strain distributions in the workpieces are inhomogeneous after CEC deformation. The strains of the both ends of the workpieces are lower than that of the center region. The process parameters have significant effects on the strain distribution. The friction between die and workpiece is detrimental to strain homogeneity, thus the friction should be decreased. In order to improve the strain homogeneity, a large corner radius and a low extrusion angle should be used.

Influence of aging on microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ80 and ZK60 magnesium alloys

The effect of aging on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ80 and ZK60 wrought magnesium alloys was studied with optical microscope and mechanical testers. The results demonstrate that both the tensile strength and elongation of AZ80 alloy increase firstly and then decrease as the aging temperature rises, the peak values appear when the aging temperature is 170 ℃ The hardness of ZK60 alloy increases firstly and then decreases as the aging temperature rises, and the hardness reaches its peak value at 170 ℃. However, the toughness of the alloy is just the opposite. Moreover, ZK60 alloy has good performances in both impact toughness and other mechanical properties at the aging temperature from 140 ℃ to 200 ℃.

Effect of equal-channel angular pressing and aging on corrosion behavior of ZK60 Mg alloy

Commercial ZK60 Mg alloy was processed by multi-pass equal-channel angular pressing（ECAP） and subsequent aging to investigate the effect of grain refinement and second-phase redistribution on its corrosion behavior. Electrochemical tests show that the fine-grained samples after more ECAP passes have higher corrosion current densities（Jcorr） in the polarization curves, lower charge-transfer resistance（Rt） values in the EIS plots. The severe plastic deformation decreases the alloy corrosion resistance besides the well-known strengthening and toughening. Scanning Kelvin probe（SKP） measurement shows that the anodic and cathode sites are homogeneously distributed on the surface of the fine-grained alloy, which inhibits localized corrosion. The SKP potential, having linear relationship with the corrosion potential（φcorr）, decreases with increasing the ECAP pass. Furthermore, the post-ECAP aging can slightly improve the corrosion resistance of the fine-grained ZK60 Mg alloy and enhance the comprehensive performances, due to the stress relief and uniform distribution of second-phase particles.

Flow behavior and microstructure of ZK60 magnesium alloy compressed at high strain rate

Flow behavior and microstructure of a homogenized ZK60 magnesium alloy were investigated during compression in the temperature range of 250-400 ℃ and the strain rate range of 0.1-50 s^-1. The results showed that dynamic recrystallization （DRX） developed mainly at grain boundaries at lower strain rate （0.1-1 s^-1）, while in the case of higher strain rate （10-50 s^-1）, DRX occurred extensively both at twins and grain boundaries at all temperature range, especially at temperature lower than 350 ℃, which resulted in a more homogeneous microstructure than that under other deformation conditions. The DRX extent determines the hot workability of the workpiece, therefore, hot deformation at the strain rate of 10-50 s^-1 and in the temperature range of 250-350 ℃ was desirable for ZK60 alloy. Twin induced DRX during high strain rate compression included three steps. Firstly, twins with high dislocation subdivided the initial grain, then dislocation arrays subdivided the twins into subgrains, and after that DRX took place with a further increase of strain.

Effects of Cu addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of as-cast magnesium alloy ZK60

The effects of Cu addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-cast magnesium alloy ZK60 were investigated with optical microscope, SEM, TEM, XRD, EPMA and tensile tester. The mechanism by which the mechanical properties are affected by Cu addition was discussed. The results show that Cu can effectively eliminate the intragranular solute segregations in the alloy, and the grain size of the alloy is decreased considerably with increasing the Cu amount. A ternary eutectic phase MgZnCu with a face-centered cubic structure is identified in the Cu-bearing alloys, which predominantly distributes at the grain boundary and acts as the nucleation sites of microcracks during the plastic deformation process. It is also found that the tensile properties of the alloy firstly increase by the trace addition of 0.5%-1%Cu and then decrease by a further addition up to 2.0%.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of laser welded wrought fine-grained ZK60 magnesium alloy

Fine-grained ZK60 magnesium alloy sheets of 2.0 mm in thickness were successfully joined by laser beam welding （LBW）. The effects of welding parameters including laser power and welding speed on the microstructures and mechanical properties of the joints were investigated. A sound bead, with the ultimate tensile strength （UTS） of 300 MPa and elongation of 12.0%, up to 92.5% and 65% of those of the base metal, respectively, is obtained with the optimized welding parameters. No liquation cracking is visible in the partially melted zone （PMZ） owing to the inhibitory action of the fine dispersed precipitates and the fine-grained microstructure in the as-rolled magnesium alloy sheets. The fusion zone （FZ） is featured with the equiaxed dendritic grains of the average grain size about 8 μm, which are similar to those in the heat affected zone （HAZ）, and this contributes to the relatively high joint efficiency.

Effects of Gd on microstructure and mechanical property of ZK60 magnesium alloy

Microstructures and phase compositions of as-cast and extruded ZK60-xGd （x=0-4） alloys were investigated. Meanwhile, the tensile mechanical property was tested. With increasing the Gd content, as-cast microstructure is refined gradually. Mg-Zn-Gd new phase increases gradually, while MgZn2 phase decreases gradually to disappear. The second phase tends to distribute along grain boundary by continuous network. As-cast tensile mechanical property is reduced slightly at ambient temperature when the Gd content does not exceed 2.98%. After extrusion by extrusion ratio of 40 and extrusion temperature of 593 K, microstructure is refined further with decreasing the average grain size to 2 μm for ZK60-2.98Gd alloy. Broken second phase distributes along the extrusion direction by zonal shape. Extruded tensile mechanical property is enhanced significantly. Tensile strength values at 298 and 473 K increase gradually from 355 and 120 MPa for ZK60 alloy to 380 and 164 MPa for ZK60-2.98Gd alloy, respectively. Extruded tensile fractures exhibit a typical character of ductile fracture.

Effect of heat treatment on mechanical and biodegradable properties of an extruded ZK60 alloy

ZK60 magnesium alloy possess good mechanical properties and is a potential biodegradable material.But its high degradation rate is not desirable.In this study the effect of heat treatment on the biodegradable property of ZK60 alloy was investigated.T5 treated,T6 treated,as-cast and as-extruded ZK60 alloys were studied.Microstructure characterization,electrochemical measurement and immersion test were carried out.The results showed that both the mechanical properties and degradation behavior were improved after T5 treatment due to the formation of small and uniformly distributed MgZn phases.The as-cast alloys also exhibited good corrosion resistance.However,the as-extruded and T6 treated samples were severely corroded due to the formation of large amounts of second phases accelerating the corrosion rate owing to the galvanic corrosion.The corrosion resistance of ZK60 alloy was as following:T5 treated>as-cast>T6 treated>as-extruded.

Biodegradation behavior of magnesium and ZK60 alloy in artificial urine and rat models

In this work, the biodegradable and histocompatibility properties of pure Mg and ZK60 alloy wereinvestigated as new temporary implants for urinary applications. The corrosion mechanism in artificialurine was proposed using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarizationtests. The corrosion potential of pure magnesium and ZK60 alloy were -1820 and -1561 mV, respectively,and the corrosion current densities were 59.66 ± 6.41 and 41.94 ± 0.53 μA cm^-2, respectively. Thein vitro degradation rates for pure Mg and ZK60 alloy in artificial urine were 0.382 and 1.023 mm/y,respectively, determined from immersion tests. The ZK60 alloy degraded faster than the pure Mg in bothartificial urine and in rat bladders (the implants of both samples are ø 3 mm × 5 mm). Histocompatibilityevaluations showed good histocompatibility for the pure Mg and ZK60 alloy during the 3 weeks postimplantationin rat bladders, and no harm was observed in the bladder, liver and kidney tissues. Theresults provide key information on the degradation properties and corrosion mechanism of pure Mg andZK60 alloy in the urinary system.

Effect of rolling temperature on microstructure and texture of twin roll cast ZK60 magnesium alloy

Twin roll cast ZK60 alloy strip/sheet with final thickness of 0.5 mm was prepared, and effect of rolling temperature on microstructure and texture development was investigated using OM and XRD technique, microstructure and texture were measured on specimens subjected to rolling experiment at different rolling temperature, and macrotexture was also evaluated by X-ray diffraction method. In addition, the （1010）and （0002） pole figures were measured, and the tensile test was performed to reveal the influence of rolling temperature on mechanical properties. The results show that the microstrucmre of ZK60 alloy sheet consisted of fibrous structure with elongated grains, and shear bands along the rolling direction after warm rolling. Dynamic recrystallization could be found during the warm rolling process at rolling temperature 350℃ and above. And many fine recrystallized grain could be observed in the shear bands area. It is a little difficult to see the recrystallized grain in the sheet warm rolled at 300℃ because of higher density of shear bands. The warm rolled ZK60 alloy sheet exhibited strong （0002） pole texture, the intensity of （0002） pole figure decreases with the increasing of rolling temperature and the basal pole tilted slightly to the transverse direction after warm rolling.