Toward the development of Mg alloys with simultaneously improved strength and ductility by refining grain size via the deformation process

Magnesium(Mg) alloys, as the lightest metal engineering materials, have broad application prospects.However, the strength and ductility of traditional Mg alloys are still relativity low and difficult to improve simultaneously.Refining grain size via the deformation process based on the grain boundary strengthening and the transition of deformation mechanisms is one of the feasible strategies to prepare Mg alloys with high strength and high ductility.In this review, the effects of grain size on the strength and ductility of Mg alloys are summarized, and fine-grained Mg alloys with high strength and high ductility developed by various severe plastic deformation technologies and improved traditional deformation technologies are introduced.Although some achievements have been made, the effects of grain size on various Mg alloys are rarely discussed systematically and some key mechanisms are unclear or lack direct microscopic evidence.This review can be used as a reference for further development of high-performance fine-grained Mg alloys.     

Twinning,grain orientation,and texture variations in Mg alloy processed by pre-rolling

A pre-rolling(PR) process with a small pre-strain was applied along the transverse direction(TD) and the extrusion direction(ED) of non-basal and basal textured AZ61 Mg alloys at room temperature to investigate the induced twinning behavior. The microstructural evolution of the alloys was used to evaluate the grain-boundary effect in terms of the texture variation. The results demonstrated that■ extension twinning was introduced by the PR process and that the volume fraction of twins increased with increasing thickness reduction. The subdivision of grains via twinning induced grain reorientation that generated a prominent basal texture with the c-axis parallel to the normal direction(ND) after PR. The textured Mg alloy with this c-axis//TD feature can promote twinning activity. The twinning performance was critical to initiate plastic deformation, therefore to determine deformation behavior at room temperature. The deformation mechanism was also addressed related to the extension twin lamellae.     

Effects of conform continuous extrusion and heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Al-13Si-7.5Cu-1Mg alloy

The effects of conform continuous extrusion and subsequent heat treatment on the mechanical and wear-resistance properties of high-alloying Al-13Si-7.5Cu-1Mg alloy were investigated. The microstructures of alloys before and after conform processing and aging were compared by transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The results reveal that the primary phases were broken and refined by intense shear deformation during conform processing. After the conform-prepared Al-13Si-7.5Cu-1Mg alloy was subjected to solid-solution treatment at 494℃ for 1.5 h and aging at 180℃ for 4 h, its hardness improved from HBS 115.8 to HBS 152.5 and its ultimate tensile strength increased from 112.6 to 486.8 MPa. Its wear resistance was also enhanced. The factors leading to the enhanced strength, hardness, and wear resistance of the alloy were discussed in detail.     

Grain refinement of Mg-Li-Al cast alloys by adding typical master alloys

Commercial Al-3Ti-1C and Al-5Ti-1B master alloys were added in order to refine the grains of Mg-Li-Al alloys.The effects of their addition levels on grain refinement of Mg-Li-Al cast alloy were investigated and the mechanism of the grain refinement was discussed.The results showed that the addition of Al-3Ti-1C master alloy reduced the grain size of LA141 cast alloy from 900μm to 400μm,while the addition of Al-5Ti-1B master alloy reduced the grain size of LA51 cast alloy from 500μm to 240μm.The grain ref...     

Recrystallization behavior of Ti40 burn-resistant titanium alloy during hot working process

The recrystallization behavior of deformed Ti40 alloy during a heat-treatment process was studied using electron backscatter diffraction and optical microscopy. The results show that the microstructural evolution of Ti40 alloy is controlled by the growth behavior of grain-boundary small grains during the heating process. These small grains at the grain boundaries mostly originate during the forging process because of the alloy’s inhomogeneous deformation. During forging, the deformation first occurs in the grain-boundary region. New small recrystallized grains are separated from the parent grains when the orientation between deformation zones and parent grains exceeds a certain threshold. During the heating process, the growth of these small recrystallized grains results in a uniform grain size and a decrease in the average grain size. The special recrystallization behavior of Ti40 alloy is mainly a consequence of the alloy’s high β-stabilized elemental content and high solution strength of the β-grains, which partially explains the poor hot working ability of Ti–V–Cr-type burn-resistant titanium alloys. Notably, this study on Ti40 burn-resistant titanium alloy yields important information related to the optimization of the microstructures and mechanical properties.     

Effects of Ag addition on the microstructures and properties of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys

Effects of Ag addition on the microstructures, aging characteristics, tensile properties, electrochemical properties, and intergranular corrosion (IGC) properties of Al-1.1Mg-0.8Si-0.9Cu-0.35Mn-0.02Ti alloy were investigated using scanning electronic microscopy and transmission electronic microscopy. The aging process of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys was accelerated by the addition of Ag. The strength of peak-aged Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys was enhanced by Ag addition because of the high density of β"- and L-phase age-hardening precipitates. The corrosion performance of the Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloy is closely related to the aging conditions and is independent of the Ag content. The IGC susceptibility is serious in the peak-aged alloy because of the continuous distribution of Cu-rich Q-phase precipitates along grain boundaries. Ag addition reduces the size of the grain-boundary-precipitate Q phase and the width of the precipitate-free zone and thus results in decreased IGC susceptibility of Al-Mg-Si-Cu alloys.     

Effect of the addition of Al-Ti-C master alloy on the microstructure and microhardness of a cast Al-10Mg alloy

The microstructure and microhardness of a cast Al-10wt%Mg (henceforth Al-10Mg) alloy with 0.2wt% addition of Al-5Ti-0.25C master alloy were compared with those of a refiner-free alloy of similar chemical composition. It was found that this level of the master alloy addition not only caused an effective grain refinement, but also caused a significant increase in the microhardness of the Al-10Mg alloy. Microchemical analysis revealed that TiC particles existed in the grain center. The relationship between the holding time and grain size was also studied. It shows that the grain refining efficiency is faded observably with the holding time. This is explained in terms of the instability of TiC particles.     

Effects of hot compression deformation temperature on the microstructure and properties of Al-Zr-La alloys

The main goal of this study is to investigate the microstructure and electrical properties of Al-Zr-La alloys under different hot compression deformation temperatures. In particular, a Gleeble 3500 thermal simulator was used to carry out multi-pass hot compression tests. For five-pass hot compression deformation, the last-pass deformation temperatures were 240, 260, 300, 340, 380, and 420℃, respectively, where the first-pass deformation temperature was 460℃. The experimental results indicated that increasing the hot compression deformation temperature with each pass resulted in improved electrical conductivity of the alloy. Consequently, the flow stress was reduced after deformation of the samples subjected to the same number of passes. In addition, the dislocation density gradually decreased and the grain size increased after hot compression deformation. Furthermore, the dynamic recrystallization behavior was effectively suppressed during the hot compression process because spherical Al₃Zr precipitates pinned the dislocation movement effectively and prevented grain boundary sliding.     

The mechanism of flow softening in subtransus hot working of two-phase titanium alloy with equiaxed structure

Understanding the mechanism of high temperature deformation is important for controlling the forming quality of the titanium alloy forgings. In the present work, the flow softening mechanism in subtransus deformation of titanium alloys with equiaxed structure was investigated by interrupted isothermal compression tests. The results show that limited strain hardening followed by continuous flow softening occurs in high temperature deformation of a twophase TA15 titanium alloy. The flow softening can not be rationalized by dynamic recrystallization. Instead, the increase of mobile dislocations during deformation is an important reason for flow softening. The grain boundaries （including the α-β interfaces） act as an important source for the generation of mobile dislocations. The continuous flow softening results from the significant deformation heterogeneity in subtransus working.     

Investigations of a nanostructured FeMnSi shape memory alloy produced via severe plastic deformation

Low-cost iron-based shape memory alloys (SMAs) show great potential for engineering applications. The developments of new processing techniques have recently enabled the production of nanocrystalline materials with improved properties. These developments have opened avenues for newer applications for SMAs. The influence of severe plastic deformation induced by the high-speed high-pressure torsion (HSHPT) process on the microstructural evolution of an Fe–Mn–Si–Cr alloy was investigated. Transmission electron microscopic analysis of the alloy revealed the existence of nanoscale grains with an abundance of stacking faults. The high density of dislocations characteristic of severe plastic deformation was not observed in this alloy. X-ray diffraction studies revealed the presence of ε-martensite with an HCP crystal structure and γ-phase with an FCC structure.     

塑性变形工艺在变形镁合金晶粒细化中的应用

综述了热挤压、轧制、大塑性变形挤压等不同塑性变形工艺在变形镁合金晶粒细化中的应用研究进展,认为目前变形镁合金发展的主要瓶颈是低加工速率导致相关产品的成本居高不下,未来将通过大尺寸半连续铸锭的多外场晶粒细化和细晶镁合金快速加工技术等予以解决。     

Toward the development of Mg alloys with simultaneously improved strength and ductility by refining grain size via the deformation process

Magnesium(Mg) alloys, as the lightest metal engineering materials, have broad application prospects.However, the strength and ductility of traditional Mg alloys are still relativity low and difficult to improve simultaneously.Refining grain size via the deformation process based on the grain boundary strengthening and the transition of deformation mechanisms is one of the feasible strategies to prepare Mg alloys with high strength and high ductility.In this review, the effects of grain size on the strength and ductility of Mg alloys are summarized, and fine-grained Mg alloys with high strength and high ductility developed by various severe plastic deformation technologies and improved traditional deformation technologies are introduced.Although some achievements have been made, the effects of grain size on various Mg alloys are rarely discussed systematically and some key mechanisms are unclear or lack direct microscopic evidence.This review can be used as a reference for further development of high-performance fine-grained Mg alloys.     

High thermal conductivity and high strength magnesium alloy for high pressure die casting ultrathin-walled components

With the rapid development of 3C industries,the demand for high-thermal-conductivity magnesium alloys with high mechanical performance is increasing quickly.However,the thermal conductivities of most common Mg foundry alloys(such as Mg-9wt%-1wt%Zn)are still relatively low.In this study,we developed a high-thermal-conductivity Mg-4Al-4Zn-4RE-1Ca(wt%,AZEX4441)alloy with good mechanical properties for ultrathin-walled cellphone components via high-pressure die casting(HPDC).The HPDC AZEX4441 alloy exhibited a fine homogeneous microstructure(average grain size of 2.8μm)with granular Al₁₁RE₃,fibrous Al₂REZn₂,and networked Ca₆Mg₂Zn₃ phases distributed at the grain boundaries.The room-temperature thermal conductivity of the HPDC AZEX4441 alloy was 94.4 W·m^-1·K^-1,which was much higher than 53.7 W·m^-1·K^-1 of the HPDC AZ91D alloy.Al and Zn in the AZEX4441 alloy were largely consumed by the formation of Al₁₁RE₃,Al₂REZn₂,and Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ phases because of the addition of RE and Ca.Therefore,the lattice distortion induced by solute atoms of the AZEX4441 alloy(0.171%)was much lower than that of the AZ91D alloy(0.441%),which was responsible for the high thermal conductivity of the AZEX4441 alloy.The AZEX4441 alloy exhibited a high yield strength of~185 MPa,an ultimate tensile strength of~233 MPa,and an elongation of~4.2%.This result indicated that the tensile properties were comparable with those of the AZ91D alloy.Therefore,this study contributed to the development of high-performance Mg alloys with a combination of high thermal conductivity,high strength,and good castability.     

Effect of Mn content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–6Li–4Zn-xMn alloys

The as-cast Mg–6Li–4Zn-xMn alloys were prepared and extruded at 280 ​°C with an extrusion ratio of 25:1. The effects of Mn content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–6Li–4Zn-xMn alloys were investigated in this study. The XRD results show that Mg–6Li–4Zn–xMn alloys consisted of α-Mg (hcp) ​+ ​β-Li (bcc) duplex structured matrix, MgLi₂Zn and Mn phases. The grains of the extruded Mg–6Li–4Zn–xMn alloys were refined by dynamic recrystallization during the extrusion process. The EBSD results show that the extruded alloys had basal textures. The grain size of the extruded alloys decreased while the basal texture was strengthened with the increasing Mn addition. The TEM results show that a large amount of nanoscale Mn precipitates existed in the extruded Mg–6Li–4Zn–1.2Mn alloy, which can effectively inhibit the dynamic recrystallized (DRXed) grains growth during the hot extrusion and is beneficial to the improvement of mechanical properties. Mg–6Li–4Zn–1.2Mn alloy in this research possesses the best mechanical properties with the ultimate tensile strength and yield strength of 321 ​MPa, 250 ​MPa, respectively.     

Ameliorating mechanical properties and reducing anisotropy of as-extruded Mg-1.0Sn-0.5Ca alloy via Al addition

Effects of Al addition to a Mg–Sn–Ca ternary alloy on its microstructure and tensile properties after extrusion were studied via extrusion of Mg-1.0Sn-0.5Ca-xAl (x ​= ​0, 0.8, 2.4 ​wt%) sheets and analysis of the extruded materials. The results showed that Al addition not only refined the grain size (from 9.8 ​± ​0.7 ​μm to 8.3 ​± ​0.4 ​μm and 7.6 ​± ​0.5 ​μm) but also accelerated the generation of more second phase (from 0.98 to 1.72 and 4.32%). Except for the CaMgSn and Mg₂Ca in Mg-1.0Sn-0.5Ca alloy, new phase (Mg, Al)₂Ca appeared after Al addition. The addition of Al into Mg–Sn–Ca alloy induced the textural variation from an initially ED-split double-peaked texture to a weakened texture, i.e., divergent elliptical texture, due to the effect of particle stimulated nucleation. This eventually contributed to the improvement of mechanical anisotropy as well as the higher Hc value and n-value. For the strain hardening behavior when tension along the TD, the prolonged stage Ⅱ of Al-modified alloys was closely connected with the additional TD textural components, accelerating the activation of more basal slip. The decreased θⅢ0 in stage Ⅲ of Al-modified alloys is beneficial to the grain refinement and the emergence of more second phase.     

Effect of initial orientation on microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ31 Mg alloy sheets via accumulated extrusion bonding

In this study, effects of initial orientation on microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of AZ31 Mg alloy sheets via accumulated extrusion bonding(AEB) was systematically studied. The samples with RD and TD parallel to extrusion direction(ED) were labeled as RED and TED, respectively. RD and TD pieces alternately stacked was named as RTED. The results revealed that under three-dimensional compressive stress, {10-12} tensile twinning dominated the first stage deformation in container. ...     

铜镁、铜锡合金接触线的制备及组织性能研究

通过上引连续铸造—连续挤压法制备了铜镁、铜锡两种合金接触线.结果表明,镁、锡元素的添加均能显著提高接触线的强度,并保证较高的导电率,镁元素的强化效果更为显著.此外,通过连续挤压扩展变形显著改善了铜镁、铜锡合金接触线的铸态组织,获得超细晶粒.主要原因在于上引铸杆在连续挤压过程中处于高压高温的状态,铸态晶粒完全破碎,动态再结晶发生完全.     

挤压工艺对可生物降解 Mg–5Zn–1.5Y 镁合金显微组织及力学性能和腐蚀性能的影响

本研究分析了挤压温度和挤压比对 Mg–5Zn–1.5Y 合金的显微组织、硬度、压缩和腐蚀行为的影响。显微组织观察表明，铸造合金由α-Mg晶粒和Mg₃Zn₆Y和Mg₃Zn₃Y₂金属间化合物组成，主要位于α-Mg晶界上。较高温度下的挤压合金显示出较粗的晶粒微观结构，而以较高比率挤压的合金含有较细的微观结构，尽管在两种条件下都测量到具有较低金属间化合物的更多动态再结晶晶粒。较低温度 (340°C) 和较高比率 (1:11.5) 的组合条件提供了较高的抗压强度。然而，没有实现显着的硬度改善。挤压工艺可以降低铸造合金在模拟体液中的腐蚀率超过 80%，这主要是由于细化了微观结构。与挤压比相比，挤压温度对耐腐蚀性能的影响更为显着，挤压温度越高，耐腐蚀性能越高。