Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of AZ91 Alloys by Addition of Yttrium

Effects of yttrium (Y) on the microstructure and properties of as-cast Mg-Al-Zn (AZ91) alloys were studied. Y additions not only change the microstructure but also influence the mechanical properties of AZ91 alloy. AZ91 unmodified alloys under as-cast state indicate that eutectic phase Mg₁₇Al₁₂ is continuous and reticulated. Yttrium addition to AZ91 casting alloys has an important influence on the primary-phase and precipitation. When the Y content is 0.3 wt.%, no Y-containing compound was observed. When the Y content is 0.6 and 0.9 wt.%, Al₂Y phase formed in the alloy and the growth morphology of eutectic Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase is modified. When the Y content is further increased to 1.2 wt.%, the Al₂Y phase becomes coarser and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ transforms into a cotton-shape structure. The results showed that Y can improve significantly as-cast microstructure of AZ91 alloys, refining Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase and increasing in hardness and strength and decreasing in impact toughness and elongation.     

Sn对AZ890镁合金铸态组织和力学性能的影响

通过OM、XRD、SEM和力学性能测试等手段研究了Sn元素对AZ80镁合金铸态组织和力学性能的影响。AZ80-xSn（x=1,3,5wt.%）铸态显微组织呈现出典型的等轴树枝晶形貌,主要有α-Mg,离异共晶Mg17Al12,层片状Mg17Al12,离异共晶Mg2Sn相组成。添加Sn元素可以有效的抑制层片状Mg17Al12相的析出,当Sn添加量为5wt%时,层片状Mg17Al12基本消失。Sn元素添加量少于3wt.%时,具有很好晶粒细化效果。而且,Sn元素具有明显的强化效果,当Sn添加3wt.%时,具有较好的综合力学性能。     

AZ91镁合金的挤压和析出硬化行为(英文)

挤压比为4:1,将铸态AZ91镁合金分别在250,300和350℃下进行挤压,随后进行析出硬化处理(T6)。经过热挤压和析出硬化处理后,铸态AZ91镁合金中粗大的和偏析Mg17Al12析出相被细化并均匀分布在α-镁基体中。在不同的挤压温度下合金中发生了部分或全部动态再结晶。经挤压后,该合金的极限抗拉强度从铸态的190MPa增加到570MPa。AZ91镁合金的时效硬化特征与晶粒尺寸有关。在250、300和350℃下以4:1的挤压比挤压该合金后,获得峰值硬度的时效时间分别为35、30和20h。SEM观察到在AZ91基体中存在均匀细小的Mg17Al12析出相。     

High-temperature oxidation of AZ91-0.3%Ca-0.1%Y alloy in air

AZ91 magnesium alloys containing 0.3% Ca and 0.1% Y were cast, and their oxidation behavior was investigated between 425 and 600 °C in atmospheric air to examine roles of Ca and Y during oxidation. During casting, Ca formed Al₂Ca particles intergranularly, and reduced the amount of Al₁₂Mg₁₇ particles, while most of yttrium existed as Al₂Y particles inter- and intra-granularly in the alloy. The AZ91 alloy oxidized fast above 425 °C, leading to complete ignition. By contrast, AZ91-0.3Ca-0.1Y alloy oxidized very slowly up to 550 °C. Calcium, which is more active than Mg, preferentially oxidized to CaO at the surface of the MgO-rich oxide to suppress the oxidation, evaporation and diffusion of Mg during the initial oxidation stage. Such suppression was due to the quite low vapor pressure and high stoichiometry of CaO. Calcium also suppressed the formation of less oxidation-resistant Al₁₂Mg₁₇ through forming oxidation-resistant Al₂Ca in the alloy from the initial oxidation stage.     

Effect of intermetallics on susceptibility of Mg alloy welds to liquation cracking

ABSTRACT

The circular-patch welding test was used to study the liquation and liquation cracking of AZ-series Mg alloys. A heat treatment was carried out on the as-received AZ91 alloy to dissolve the γ(Mg₁₇Al₁₂) particles before welding. The circular-patch welding test was then conducted on the heat-treated, as-received AZ91 alloy using AZ61 and AZ91 filler wires. The results showed that the susceptibility of AZ91 alloy to liquation and liquation cracking was significantly reduced by the dissolution of massive γ(Mg₁₇Al₁₂) particles via a heat treatment before welding as the liquation mechanism was changed. Both constitutional liquation and incipient melting occurred in the partially melted zone of the as-received AZ91 welds, while only incipient melting occurred in the heat-treated AZ91 welds.     

Effect of heat treatment on the intermetallic layer of cold sprayed aluminum coatings on magnesium alloy

Dense and thick pure aluminum coatings were deposited on AZ91D-T4 magnesium substrates using the cold spray process. Heat treatments of the as-sprayed samples were carried out at 400 °C using different holding times. The feedstock powder, substrate and coating microstructures were examined using optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) as well as Vickers microhardness analysis. The results demonstrate that aluminum coatings having dense and uniform microstructure can be deposited successfully using a relatively large feedstock powder. It has been identified that the intermetallics Al₃Mg₂ (γ phase) and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ (β phase) were formed at the coating/substrate interface during heat treatment. The growth rate of these intermetallics follows the parabolic law and the γ phase has a higher growth rate than the β phase. The thickness of the Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and Al₃Mg₂ intermetallic layers has reached 83 μm and 149 μm, respectively. This result is almost 45% higher than what has been reported in the literature so far. This is attributed to the fact that T4 instead of as cast Mg alloy was used as substrate. In the T4 state, the Al concentration in the Mg matrix is higher, and thus intermetallic growth is faster as less enrichment is required to reach the critical level for intermetallic formation in the substrate. The AZ91D-T4 magnesium substrate contains single α phase with fine clusters/GP-zones which is considered beneficial for the intermetallic formation as well as the intimate contact between the coating/substrate interface and the deformed particles within the coating.     

Microstructural characterization of Al/Mg alloy interdiffusion mechanism during Accumulative Roll Bonding

In this study, the Accumulative Roll Bonding (ARB) process was used with a snap-stack procedure to reduplicate an Al (1100)/Mg (AZ31) alloy. Samples underwent four rolling and stacking cycles four times, which produced a 24-layer structure. The ARB process creates a multilayer compound between Al/Mg layers with excellent bonding characteristics. The excellent bonding characteristics were due to atomic diffusion. Diffusion couples between Al and Mg were investigated to study the composition of the formation in the Al−Mg system. Layers of intermetallic compound (IMC) Al₃Mg₂ and Al₁₂Mg₁₇ were observed. The composition-depth curves of the diffusion zone were determined by electron microprobe analyses of the IMCs.     

Corrosion behaviour of Mg/Al alloys in high humidity atmospheres

The influence of relative humidity (80–90–98% RH) and temperature (25 and 50 °C) on the corrosion behaviour of AZ31, AZ80 and AZ91D magnesium alloys was evaluated using gravimetric measurements. The results were compared with the data obtained for the same alloys immersed in Madrid tap water. The corrosion rates of AZ alloys increased with the RH and temperature and were influenced by the aluminium content and alloy microstructure for RH values above 90%. The initiation of corrosion was localised around the Al–Mn inclusions in the AZ31 alloy and at the centre of the α‐Mg phase in the AZ80 and AZ91D alloys. The β‐Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase acted as a barrier against corrosion.     

Micro–macro interactions and effect of section thickness of hpdc AZ91 Mg alloy

This work is aimed to conclude the effect of section thickness of a high pressure die cast (hpdc) Mg alloy on the tensile properties as ambiguous conclusions are presented in the literature. Tensile tests were performed on as-cast hpdc AZ91 alloy and the effect of section thickness on the tensile properties such as yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), ductility and fracture strain (FS) are explained. Additionally, explanation on the microfailure mode of the material is presented to explain the influence of different microfeatures on the failure process. The average size, area fraction and clustering tendency of pores and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ (β) particles as well as average grain size are quantified and their effects on section thickness are obtained. The results confirm that the UTS, YS, ductility and FS are mainly influenced by the area fraction, size distribution and spatial arrangement of pores and phases.     

Effect of Ca addition on microstructure and impression creep behavior of cast AZ61 magnesium alloy

Microstructure and creep properties of AZ61 alloy containing 1 and 3 wt.% Ca were investigated. The creep properties were examined using impression method under different stresses between 200 and 500 MPa at the temperature ranging from 423 to 491 K. The microstructure of AZ61 alloy contains α(Mg) matrix and Mg₁₇Al₁₂ intermetallic phases. It is shown that adding Ca to AZ61 alloy reduces the amount of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase via forming (Mg, Al)₂Ca phase; furthermore, increasing the Ca content to 3 wt.% leads to the formation of (Mg, Al)₂Ca phase, as well as the elimination of the Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase. Creep properties of AZ61 alloy are improved with the Ca addition. The improvement in creep properties is attributed to the reduction in the amount of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase and the formation of (Mg, Al)₂Ca phase with high thermal stability. According to the obtained creep data, it is concluded that the pipe diffusion−climb controlled dislocation creep is the dominant creep mechanism and Ca addition has no influence on this mechanism. The effect of pre-deformation on the creep properties of AZ61+3%Ca alloy reveals that the creep resistance of the alloy depends on the continuity of (Mg, Al)₂Ca phase. It is decreased by reducing the phase continuity.     

Effects of the injection temperature of N2 gas on pressureless infiltration for fabricating Al−Mg/Al2O3 composites

Pressureless infiltration of molten Al−Mg alloys into particulate Al₂O₃ preforms has been known to occur only in a nitrogen atmosphere. In order to understand the pressureless infiltration mechanism of Al−Mg alloys into particulate Al₂O₃ preforms, nitrogen was injected at 25°C, 300°C, and 600°C. The higher the injection temperature of the nitrogen gas was, the lower the infiltration temperature of the molten Al−Mg alloys into the particulate Al₂O₃ preform was. Pressureless infiltration of the Al−6Mg alloy occurred at 700°C when the nitrogen gas was injected at 600°C. The formation of an Mg−N compound (Mg₃N₂) on Al₂O₃ particles, which improves wettability by decreasing the interfacial energy between the Al−Mg alloys and the Al₂O₃ particles, enabled the formation of the Al−Mg alloy/Al₂O₃ composite via pressureless infiltration. Increasing the injection temperature close to the melting point of the Al−Mg alloys appeared to enhance the formation of Mg₃N₂ on the surface of the Al₂O₃ particles.     

Heat Treatment of AZ91D Mg-Al-Zn Alloy: Microstructural Evolution and Dynamic Response

Magnesium alloys are attracting great interest from the automotive industry because of the potential for weight reduction. An AZ91D cast alloy was studied in the current work to understand the effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and dynamic compressive properties. The selected heat treatments include solution treatment (T4) and solution treatment followed by aging (T6). The as-cast alloy microstructure consists of intermetallic β-phase (Mg₁₇Al₁₂) precipitates surrounded by α + β lamellar eutectic in α-Mg solid solution. The AZ91D-T4 specimens showed small β-phase precipitates along the grain boundaries and regions of eutectic mixture. The T6 heat treatment causes the β-phase platelets in the α + β eutectic to grow and develop into β-precipitates. The difference in the phase morphology reflects into the mechanical properties. The Vickers hardness of the T6 heat-treated specimens was 3.6% higher than the as-cast alloy. The compressive yield strengths of T4 and T6 treated specimens were 1.3% and 43.1% higher than those of as-cast specimens. The high strain rate compression testing resulted in increase in the strength with strain rate for the T4 and T6 specimens. A maximum increase of 42% was observed in T6 specimen tested at a strain rate of 4,000/s in comparison to the quasi-static compression. Under high strain rate compression testing, the T6 heat-treated specimens showed failure of the β-precipitates resulting in increased energy absorption in comparison to the quasi-static compression.     

Effect of Ca addition on microstructure of twin-roll cast AZ31 Mg alloy

A twin-roll cast (TRC) AZ31-0.7Ca alloy sheet has been subjected to thermo-mechanical treatment (TMT) followed by annealing and its microstructure was evaluated. The as-cast microstructure of TRC AZ31-0.7Ca alloy is essentially similar to that of TRC AZ31 alloy, except for the presence of Al₂Ca dispersoid particles. The presence of Al₂Ca particles imparts significant changes to the microstructure of TMT-ed TRC alloy such as the refinement of grain size and evolution of textures different from those of ingot cast and TRC AZ31 alloys.     

Hot rolling characteristics of spray-formed AZ91 magnesium alloy

AZ91 magnesium alloy was prepared by spray forming. The spray-deposited alloy was subsequently hot-rolled with a 80% reduction at 350℃. The microstructural features of the as-spray-deposited and hot-rolled alloy were examined by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffractometry. The results show that the spray-formed AZ91 magnesium alloy has, compared with the as-cast ingot, a finer microstructure with less interrnetallic phase Mg17Al12 dispersed in the matrix due to fast cooling and solidification rates of spray forming process, and, therefore showing excellent workability. It can be hot-rolled with nearly 20% reduction for one pass at lower temperatures （330-360℃）, and the total reduction can reach 50% prior to annealing. After proper thermo-mechanical treatment, the spray-formed AZ91 magnesium alloy exhibits outstanding mechanical properties.     

Effect of heat treatment on corrosion behaviour of magnesium alloy AZ91D in simulated body fluid

The research explored ways of improving corrosion behaviour of AZ91D magnesium alloy through heat treatment for degradable biocompatible implant application. Corrosion resistance of heat-treated samples is studied in simulated body fluid at 37 °C using immersion and electrochemical testing. Heat treatment significantly affected microgalvanic corrosion behaviour between cathodic β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase and anodic α-Mg matrix. In T4 microstructure, dissolution of the β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase decreased the cathode-to-anode area ratio, leading to accelerated corrosion of α-Mg matrix. Fine β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ precipitates in T6 microstructure facilitated intergranular corrosion and pitting, but the rate of corrosion was less than those of as-cast and T4 microstructures.     

Enhancement of Mechanical Properties of Extruded Mg–9Al–1Zn–1MM–0.7CaO–0.3Mn Alloy Through Pre-aging Treatment

The effect of pre-aging treatment before extrusion has been investigated in Mg–9.0Al–1.0Zn–1MM–0.7CaO–0.3Mn alloy. The as-cast microstructure consists of α-Mg dendrite with secondary solidification phase particles, (Mg, Al)₂Ca, β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and Al₁₁RE₃ at the inter-dendritic region. After extrusion, β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ precipitates are present, but higher density and more homogeneous distribution in pre-aged alloy. In addition, μm-scale banded bulk β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ particles are generated during extrusion. Al₁₁RE₃ particles are broken into small particles, and are aligned along the extrusion direction. (Mg, Al)₂Ca particles are only slightly elongated along the extrusion direction, providing stronger particle stimulated nucleation (PSN) effect by severe deformation during extrusion. The mechanical properties can be significantly enhanced by introducing pre-aging treatment, i.e. β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ precipitates provide grain refining and strengthening effects and (Mg, Al)₂Ca particles provide PSN effect.     

真空压力浸渗制备SiCp/AZ91复合材料的显微组织、力学性能和磨损行为

采用真空压力浸透法制备SiC_p/AZ91复合材料,研究其显微组织、力学性能和耐磨性。结果表明,SiC颗粒均匀分布于金属基体中,并与基体界面结合良好。Mg₁₇Al₁₂相在SiC颗粒附近优先析出,SiC与AZ91基体的热膨胀系数失配导致高密度位错的产生,加速基体的时效析出。与AZ91合金相比,SiC颗粒的加入提高了复合材料的硬度和抗压强度,这主要是由于载荷传递强化和晶粒细化强化机制。此外,由于SiC具有优异的耐磨性,在磨损过程中形成稳定的支撑面保护基体。     

Broad-beam laser cladding of Al-Si alloy coating on AZ91HP magnesium alloy

In the present study, an attempt was made to improve the wear resistance and the corrosion resistance of AZ91HP magnesium alloy by laser cladding Al-Si eutectic alloy. The results showed that the clad layer mainly consisted of Mg₂Si, Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and Mg₂Al₃ phases. The microstructure of the bonding zone changed from columnar grains to equiaxial grains along the direction of heat-flow. The heat-affected zone consisted of α-Mg and α-Mg + β-Mg₁₇Al₁₂ eutectic. The formation of multiple Mg intermetallic compounds allowed the clad layer to exhibit higher hardness, better wear resistance and corrosion resistance.     

铝含量对AS系列铸造镁合金机械加工性能的影响(英文)

研究铝含量对AS系列铸造镁合金机械加工性能的影响。通过测量切削力和表面粗糙度对镁合金的机械加工性能进行评估。研究合金的微观结构和拉伸性能。结果表明,切削力随着铝含量的增加而增大;AS91镁合金的表面粗糙度和力学性能最高;对力学性能有影响的主要机制是存在金属间相Mg2Si和Mg17Al12。在机械加工镁合金中,切削力随着切割速度的增大而增大。所测得的数据与机械加工合金的力学性能一致。     

Effect of cerium addition on microstructure and corrosion resistance of die cast AZ91 magnesium alloy

A novel AZ91 Ce containing magnesium alloy characterized by excellent corrosion resistance is fabricated by adding rare earth Ce (cerium) in the form of a Mg‐Ce master alloy. The metallographic investigation shows that Ce added to AZ91 can obviously decrease the size of β‐Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and forms Al₁₁Ce₃ intermetallic compounds in the shape of fine needles. The corrosion tests and electrochemical measurements indicate that the corrosion resistance of AZ91 Ce containing magnesium alloy is obviously higher than that of AZ91. Furthermore, increasing the content of Ce in the magnesium alloy can further enhance the corrosion resistance. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) reveals that Ce can be incorporated into corrosion products in the form of CeO₂ in the course of corrosion. Based on the preliminary analysis, the addition of Ce can improve the corrosion resistance of AZ91 by decreasing the size of β‐Mg₁₇Al₁₂ and enhancing the protective effectiveness of corrosion products.