Evaluation of low cycle fatigue life in AZ31 magnesium alloy

Magnesium alloys are attracting engineers for their practical application to structural components. Here fatigue properties, which is essential for structural use, have been examined on extruded AZ31 bar under uniaxial cyclic loading by both strain and stress controlled conditions. Adding fatigue tests with mean stresses under stress controlling conditions, fatigue life evaluation method has been discussed along with the analysis of cyclic stress–strain behavior. The specimen is easy to yield in compression by twinning. This leads to the asymmetric hysteresis curves. It also tends to deform quasi-elastically during unloading from compression; this makes the plastic strain amplitude smaller to the maximum one in the hysteresis curve. These asymmetric features fairly disappear at half-life in the stress controlled tests. The fatigue lives and deformation characteristics can be expressed nicely by Manson–Coffin type equation. On the contrary, the strain controlled tests retain the asymmetry till the end and produce tensile mean stresses. The fatigue lives are unsuccessfully evaluated by the above equation. Various mean stress correction models for cubic metals are not operative in magnesium alloys. A new model has been devised adding a correction term of −σ_m/2E to the above mentioned Manson–Coffin type equation. Strain controlled test, as it retains pyriform shape till the end, could be evaluated more accurately with the maximum plastic strain amplitude in the hysteresis curve.     

Wear behaviors and wear mechanisms of wrought magnesium alloy AZ31 fabricated by extrusion-shear

Extrusion-Shear (ES) process for magnesium alloy is a newly developed plastic deformation technique which combines direct extrusion (DE) with ECAP (equal-channel angular pressing). Grains of ES-processed magnesium alloys can be refined effectively and mechanical properties can be improved, but the tribological properties have not been studied. In this study, the wear behaviors and wear mechanisms of AZ31 magnesium alloy samples produced by direct extrusion (DE) and extrusion-shear (ES) technologies, respectively, have been evaluated by fiction coefficient and wear frequencies obtained from the dry sliding tests conducted at different loads and frequencies by using a high speed dry sliding test machine. SEM and EDS analyses technologies also have been used to analyze the wear surfaces and wear debris in different fiction conditions. Based on the results, the ES-processed samples show a better wear resistance than those prepared by DE process as the ES-process samples show a lower friction coefficient comparing to those fabricated by DE process at the same conditions of loads and wear frequencies. With the increase of normal loads and reciprocating frequencies, the wear mechanism change from mild wear (adhesion, abrasion and oxidation) to severe wear (delamination, plastic deformation and melting). Therefore, the extrusion ways have significant influences on the wear behaviors of the samples and that the wear resistance of AZ31 magnesium alloy can be improved by extrusion-shear.     

Improving low-cycle fatigue properties of rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy by pre-compression deformation

The effect of pre-compression deformation on the low-cycle fatigue properties and cyclic deformation behavior of as-rolled AZ31 alloy was investigated by performing the stress-controlled low-cycle fatigue tests at room temperature. Fatigue properties and cyclic damage process should be closely related to the twins. The present work aimed to investigate the deformation mechanism and fatigue life caused by the introduced {1 0−1 2} twinning–detwinning from the viewpoint of stress amplitude. The results reveal that the twins contribute to the fatigue properties and cyclic damage process of AZ31 alloy. There were noticeable changes in hysteresis loops, microstructures and fatigue lives when the stress amplitude increased from 120 to 150 MPa. The fatigue life of pre-compressed samples was more superior to that of the as-rolled sample under different stress amplitudes, especially under the stress amplitude close to the tensile yield strength of the as-rolled sample.     

Study on microstructure of squeeze casting AZ91D alloy

Abstract

The present paper reports the investigation of the microstructure distribution of squeeze cast AZ91D alloy. The microstructure of squeeze cast AZ91D alloy is not uniform and is composed of four zones, which are chilled layer, segregation zone, pressured crystallisation area and hot spot area respectively. Moreover, in the pressured crystallisation area, the microstructure sequence in the transverse section from the outside to the inside could be divided into four sublayers, such as fine equiaxial dendrite area, dendrite area with a high directivity, confusion dendrite area and disorder dendrite area. The volume fraction of the intermetallic compound Mg₁₇Al₁₂ also varied with the location. The volume fraction of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ in the pressured crystallisation area is the largest except in the segregated zone.     

EBSD analysis of fatigue crack initiation behavior in coarse-grained AZ31 magnesium alloy

Plane bending fatigue tests had been conducted to investigate fatigue crack initiation mechanism in coarse-grained magnesium alloy, AZ31, with hexagonal close-packed (hcp) crystallographic structure. The initial crystallographic structure was analyzed by an electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) method. Subsequently, a fatigue test was periodically terminated and time-series EBSD analyses were performed. Basal slip and primary twin operated predominantly. In a twin band, secondary twin operated, and resulted in the fatigue crack initiation. The crack initiation was strongly affected by Schmid factors in the grains and twin bands.     

Corrosion fatigue behavior of extruded magnesium alloy AZ31 in sodium chloride solution

In the present study, corrosion fatigue experiments were done using the extruded magnesium alloy AZ31 in the 3% sodium chloride solution to clarify the corrosion fatigue characteristics of the material. Corrosion fatigue lives greatly decreased as compared with those in laboratory air. It was also clarified that most of the corrosion fatigue life (70–80%) at the lower stress amplitude is occupied with the period of the corrosion pit growth. Corrosion fatigue lives were evaluated quantitatively by dividing the corrosion fatigue process into the following two periods, i.e. (1) the corrosion pit growth period preceding the crack initiation from the pit and (2) the crack growth period before the specimen failure. In the analysis, the law of the corrosion pit growth proposed by authors was used to deal with the above first period. The evaluated results corresponded well to the experimental results.     

Post-welding formability of AZ31 magnesium alloy

The plastic flow behaviour and formability of friction stir welded AZ31 magnesium alloys were widely investigated. Flow curves were obtained in extended ranges of temperature (250–350 °C) and strain rate (0.001–0.1 s⁻¹) by means of uniaxial tensile tests; furthermore, forming limit curves were determined using the hemispherical punch method in the same range of temperature but with a constant crosshead speed of 0.1 mm/s. The results were compared with those obtained, under the same experimental conditions, on the base material. The flow stress levels of joint and base material are very similar up the peak of the flow curve although the equivalent strains at the peak and to failure are usually lower than those of base material. However, at the highest temperature and lowest strain rate investigated (350 °C and 0.001 s⁻¹), the flow behaviour of the welded joint tends to be similar to the one of the base alloy. Finally, formability of the friction stir welded material, evaluated in terms of forming limit curves, is usually lower than the one of the base material.     

An investigation on the high stress sensitivity of fatigue life of rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy under constant amplitude fatigue loading

In the present work, an investigation on the high stress sensitivity of the fatigue life of the AZ31 rolled magnesium alloy under constant amplitude fatigue loading has been carried out. Different damage parameters were involved to quantify fatigue damage accumulation at the various scales of material volume corresponding to the changing fatigue damage mechanisms that prevail at the various stages of the fatigue life. The experimental work included mainly nano‐indentation measurements to evaluate hardness evolution at the nano‐scale due to cyclic plasticity, results of micro‐crack monitoring by using the replication technique and fractographic analysis to obtain the fracture characteristics of the fatigue specimens after failure. The hexagonal close‐packed structure of the alloy and the resulting difficulty for the activation of five independent slip systems required for homogeneous plastic deformation were considered to determine the high stress sensitivity of the fatigue life observed for the rolled AZ31 alloy under the investigated loading conditions.     

Rapid evaluation of fatigue limit in AZ31B magnesium alloy using acoustic emission

Acoustic emission (AE) was used in a fatigue experiment to characterise AE signals and to rapidly determine the fatigue limit of AZ31B magnesium (Mg) alloy. The AE signals during fatigue were characterised according to waveforms and frequency. Meanwhile, the energy dissipation in the process of fatigue, which was represented by the accumulative AE energy, can be used to determine the fatigue limit. Based on the AE parameters, the fatigue limit was 97?MPa, with an 8% error value when compared with the results obtained by the conventional S–N curve method. This model only requires the accumulated energy of the signals during strain hardening. Therefore, the fatigue limit can be determined rapidly.     

Microstructural features of spray-formed AZ31 magnesium alloy

Abstract

Mg alloy AZ31 was spray-formed using an indigenously developed spray atomisation and deposition unit under protective atmosphere and various processing parameters were optimised. The microstructural features of the bell shaped AZ31 spray-formed deposit were characterised using optical microscope, scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive spectrometer, X-ray diffraction and high resolution transmission electron microscope. It was observed that the microstructural features are critically dependent on location in the spray-formed deposits. Under optimised processing conditions, the central region of the bell shaped deposit exhibited minimal porosity and a uniform fine grained equiaxed microstructure with fine Mg₁₇Al₁₂ intermetallics preferably located at the grain boundaries. However, the peripheral regions of the spray-formed deposit indicate higher porosity with distinct microstructural characteristics different from those in the central region. These microstructural features, observed at different locations in the spray-formed deposit, have been analysed and their evolution is discussed in the light of variations in thermal and solidification conditions of the droplets in flight, during impingement as well as those of the deposition surface.     

AZ31镁合金非等温拉深性能的研究

针对AZ31镁合金等温拉深性能差的问题,提出了AZ31镁合金的非等温拉深工艺.通过平底杯形冲头拉深试验研究了不同冲头温度和板料温度对AZ31镁合金非等温拉深性能的影响,确定了使AZ31镁合金具有最佳拉深性能的板料和冲头温度范围.实验结果表明,除了板料和冲头温度之外,拉深速度和润滑条件对AZ31镁合金的非等温拉深性能也有重要影响.     

Developing superplasticity in a magnesium AZ31 alloy by ECAP

The processing of a magnesium AZ31 alloy by equal-channel angular pressing refines the grain size to ~2.2 μm, but annealing for 30 min at 673 K coarsens the grains to ~6.0 μm. Despite this microstructural instability, the alloy is superplastic when pulled in tension at temperatures in the range of 623–723 K with elongations up to >1000% at strain rates at and below 10^?4 s^?1. Experiments within the superplastic regime show the strain rate sensitivity is ~0.5 and the activation energy is close to the value for grain boundary diffusion. It is demonstrated by calculation that the experimental results are in good agreement with a model for superplasticity based on grain boundary sliding.     

消失模铸造镁合金表面陶瓷化研究

利用消失模铸造工艺,以PbO-ZnO系低温玻璃粉作为主要的陶瓷化材料,进行了镁合金表面陶瓷化研究。利用SEM、XRD、线能谱分析和极化曲线等手段研究了镁合金表面陶瓷涂层的组织结构、相组成和元素的分布,测试了陶瓷层的耐腐蚀性能。结果表明,在基体的表面形成厚度为40～80μm左右的陶瓷涂层,涂层的主要成分有低温玻璃粉组成,并且成分组成由表层到基体变化明显,与基体之间形成了良好的结合界面。通过电化学性能测试表明,表面陶瓷层的腐蚀电位大幅度的提高,腐蚀电流密度降低,经过表面陶瓷化的镁合金耐腐蚀性能得到了提高。     

Fatigue behavior of AZ31 magnesium alloy produced by solid-state recycling

Mechanical properties of AZ31 Mg alloy produced from machined chips by the solid-state recycle method were compared to those of the reference alloy which was produced from an as-received AZ31 Mg alloy block under the same conditions with the recycled alloy. Tensile properties of the recycled alloy were comparable to those of the reference alloy, however, the recycled alloy exhibited poorer fatigue resistance than the reference alloy.     

Evaluation of distribution of fatigue lives of the extruded magnesium alloy AZ61

In this study, fatigue tests were carried out to study the distribution of fatigue lives of the extruded Mg alloy AZ61 under constant stress amplitudes. The scattering in the distribution of fatigue lives becomes larger at lower stress amplitudes compared to higher stress amplitudes. During the fatigue process of the alloy, it was observed that cracks initiated from inclusions existing on the specimen surface, then propagated, and finally led to the final failure of the specimen. Statistical distributions of both densities and areas (sizes) of the inclusions were experimentally investigated in detail and were approximated by Weibull distributions. In addition, the distribution of ${{A}_{\rm max}^{1/2}}$ , the square root of the maximum inclusion areas within a division of 0.75 mm², was also investigated. The experimental data were approximated well by the extreme-value distribution. The distributions of the fatigue lives of the extruded Mg alloy were evaluated using both Monte-Carlo simulation and surface fatigue crack propagation behaviour. In the simulation, the random numbers corresponding to the above statistical distributions of the inclusions, i.e., densities, areas, and square root of the maximum inclusion areas were utilized. The evaluated distribution of the fatigue lives corresponded well with the experimental one. It was concluded that for the evaluation of the distribution of fatigue lives, employing the extreme-value distribution of the inclusions is recommended because of convenience and accuracy of the method.     

Simulation of extrusion process of AZ31 magnesium alloy

The extrusion process of AZ31 magnesium alloy has been simulated. First, a series of tests were designed to obtain the simulation parameters: stress–strain curves, friction factors and heat transfer coefficient. Then, a special extrusion process was carried out and simulated by DEFORM-2D simultaneously. The results reveal that the simulated temperature–time curve agrees well with the measured one, indicating the good accuracy of the simulation parameters. Accordingly, the extrusion of AZ31 at different conditions was analyzed in detail. The extrusion loads and temperature distribution of billets were obtained.     

Pulsed MIG welding of AZ31B magnesium alloy

Abstract

Pulsed metal inert gas welding of AZ31B magnesium alloy is carried out, and continuous butt joints of high quality are obtained at optimised parameters. The effects of parameters on weld formation and welding stability are studied. The microstructure, mechanical properties and fracture of weld beads with different filler wires are investigated. The results show that it is a stable drop transition process with optimised parameters, which belongs to globular transfer. The precipitates in fusion zone and heat affected zone (HAZ) are uniform, dispersive and almost granular. The grain size in fusion zone is fine, and the grain size does not grow too large in HAZ compared with the base metal. The ultimate tensile strength of weld beads can be 94% of base metal, and the average elongation is 11%. Dimples and coarse tearing ridges can be observed on the fracture of the weld bead.     

Indentation creep of the wrought AZ31 magnesium alloy

Creep behavior of a wrought Mg–3Al–1Zn (AZ31) alloy was investigated by long-term Vickers indentation testing under constant loads of 5 and 10 N and at temperatures in the range 423–523 K. Based on the steady-state power-law creep relationship, the stress exponents were determined. The creep behavior can be divided into two stress regimes with different stress exponents and activation energy values. The low-stress regime activation energy of 96.2 kJ mol⁻¹, which can be interpreted as that for the activation energy for Al diffusion in Mg, and stress exponents of about 3.0–3.4 suggest that the operative creep mechanism is dislocation viscous glide governed by the diffusion of aluminum atoms in magnesium. This behavior is in contrast to the high-stress regime, in which the average values of n = 6 and Q = 132.4 kJ mol⁻¹ imply that dislocation climb-controlled creep is the dominant deformation mechanism. Stress exponents and activation energies obtained by different analysis methods of the indentation tests are in good agreement with each other and with those of the conventional tensile creep tests on AZ31 magnesium alloy reported in the literature. The localized indentation creep tests are, thus, considered capable of acquiring reliable information on the creep behavior of wrought magnesium alloys.