Effects of extrusion ratio on the ratcheting behavior of extruded AZ31B magnesium alloy under asymmetrical uniaxial cyclic loading

Magnesium alloys are increasingly used in the automotive and aerospace industries for weight reduction and fuel savings. The ratcheting behavior of these alloys is therefore an important consideration. The objective of this investigation was to study the effects of extrusion ratio on the ratcheting behavior of extruded AZ31B magnesium alloy. The experiments have shown that the extruded AZ31B Mg alloy presented the following characteristic behavior with increasing number of loading cycles: first an apparent cyclic softening was observed, then a cyclic hardening occurred, and finally a stable state was reached. This generic behavior can be explained by the fact that the variation trend of the maximum strain with the number of cycles differs from that of the minimum strain. The extrusion ratio did not influence the cyclic softening/hardening behavior or the final ratcheting strain variation trend of the extruded AZ31B Mg alloy with the mean stress and the peak stress. However, the extrusion ratio influenced the final ratcheting strain variation trend of the extruded AZ31B Mg alloy with the stress amplitude. Increasing the extrusion ratio also reduced the ratcheting strain and the effects of the load history on the ratcheting behavior of the extruded AZ31B Mg alloy.     

Grain size and texture effect on compression behavior of hot-extruded Mg–3Al–1Zn alloys at room temperature

Hot-extruded AZ31 alloy was subjected to compression at room temperature. The influence of grain size and grain orientation on the compression behavior of the specimens was examined by optical microscopy, compression test and X-ray diffraction. Abundant twins activated during compression of extruded AZ31 magnesium alloy. The hot extruded AZ31 magnesium alloys had a higher Hall–Petch slope for compression than that for tension.     

On fatigue lives of diecast and extruded Mg alloys

In this study, fatigue tests were carried out on both diecast and extruded Mg alloys to study their distributions of fatigue lives under constant stress amplitudes. During the fatigue process of the diecast Mg alloy, cracks initiated from the casting defects inside of the specimen, and then propagated prior to final failure of the specimen. While in the extruded Mg alloy, cracks initiated from the inclusions located on the specimen surface. With assuming the above defects as the initial cracks, the initial maximum stress intensity factors K_imax were evaluated. There are common relations between the initial maximum stress intensity factors K_imax and fatigue lives N_f, regardless of the stress amplitudes for the both Mg alloys at the constant R ratio of −1. The lower K_imax, the longer N_f becomes. Integrating the fatigue crack propagation law from the initial maximum stress intensity factor K_imax to the fatigue fracture toughness K_fc, the relations K_imax vs. N_f can be successfully evaluated.Distributions of fatigue lives at the constant stress amplitudes can be represented by the Weibull distributions. Dispersion in the fatigue lives becomes larger at the lower stress amplitude as compared with those at the higher stress amplitudes. This trend is observed commonly for both diecast and extruded Mg alloys.     

Tensile and fatigue behaviour of wrought magnesium alloys AZ31 and AZ61

The mechanical behaviour of two hot rolled magnesium alloys, namely the AZ31 and AZ61, has been evaluated experimentally under both monotonic and cyclic loading. Both longitudinal (L) and long transverse (LT) directions were evaluated. The tensile behaviour of the L and LT directions is similar and differs only in the offset 0.2% yield strength for both materials. This difference is attributed to the angular spread of basal poles toward the rolling direction and is more pronounced for the case of AZ31. A distinct hardening response is obvious in both directions. Twinning formation was observed; it is more pronounced in the longitudinal direction while the fracture mode is intergranular and equiaxed facets are present in the fracture surfaces of the specimens. The S–N curves exhibit a smooth transition from the low to high cycle fatigue regime. AZ61 exhibits an overall better fatigue behaviour compared to AZ31. A transgranular crack initiation mode is observed in all tested specimens while the propagation of the cracks is characterized as intergranular.     

A method for assessing critical plane‐based multiaxial fatigue damage models

Fatigue failure is a complex phenomenon. Therefore, development of a fatigue damage model that considers all associated complexities resulting from the application of different cyclic loading types, geometries, materials, and environmental conditions is a challenging task. Nevertheless, fatigue damage models such as critical plane‐based models are popular because of their capability to estimate life mostly within ±2 and ±3 factors of life for smooth specimens. In this study, a method is proposed for assessing the fatigue life estimation capability of different critical plane‐based models. In this method, a subroutine was developed and used to search for best estimated life regardless of critical plane assumption. Therefore, different fatigue damage models were evaluated at all possible planes to search for the best life. Smith‐Watson‐Topper (normal strain‐based), Fatemi‐Socie (shear strain‐based), and Jahed‐Varvani (total strain energy density‐based) models are compared by using the proposed assessment method. The assessment is done on smooth specimen level by using the experimental multiaxial fatigue data of 3 alloys, namely, AZ31B and AZ61A extruded magnesium alloys and S460N structural steel alloy. Using the proposed assessment method, it was found that the examined models may not be able to reproduce the experimental lives even if they were evaluated at all physical planes.     

Enhanced very high cycle fatigue performance of extruded Mg-12Gd-3Y-0.5Zr magnesium alloy

Very high-cycle fatigue behaviors of extruded Mg-12Gd-3Y-0.5Zr (GW123k) magnesium alloy have been investigated and compared to that of conventional extruded AZ31 magnesium alloy. Typical post-fatigue microstructure and surface morphology features are presented for both the GW123k and the AZ31 alloy in order to stand out the uniqueness of GW123k alloy. Respective fatigue damage mechanisms for both alloys were also proposed in accordance. It is found that GW123k alloy contains a large amount of precipitated particles and possesses a relatively weak texture, which give rise to its much relieved tension-compression yield asymmetry and enhanced fatigue failure resistance. The much homogenized deformation mechanism in GW123k alloy is considered the underline reason for the improvement of material's fatigue performance.     

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.     

Low cycle fatigue properties of friction stir welded joints of a semi-solid processed AZ91D magnesium alloy

A semi-solid processed (thixomolded) Mg–9Al–1Zn magnesium alloy (AZ91D) was subjected to friction stir welding (FSW), aiming at evaluating the weldability and fatigue property of the FSW joint. Microstructure analysis showed that a recystallized fine-grained microstructure was generated in the nugget zone (NZ) after FSW. The yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation of the FSW joint were obtained to be 192 MPa, 245 MPa, and 7.6%, respectively. Low-cycle fatigue tests showed that the FSW joint had a fatigue life fairly close to that of the BM, which could be well described by the Basquin and Coffin-Manson equations. Unlike the extruded magnesium alloys, the hysteresis loops of FSW joint of the thixomolded AZ91D alloy were basically symmetrical, while the non-linear or pseudoelastic behavior was still present. The FSW joint was observed to fail in the BM section rather than in the NZ. Fatigue crack initiated basically from the pores at or near the specimen surface, and crack propagation was mainly characterized by fatigue striations along with the presence of secondary cracks.     

Mechanical behavior of cast and forged magnesium alloys and their microstructures

Effects of manufacturing processes on microstructure and mechanical properties of magnesium alloys AM60 and AZ31B were investigated. The magnesium alloy AM60 was produced by high-pressure die cast (HPDC) with two different casting processors but AZ31B was produced by forging. Casting defects were investigated with SEM observations for the specimens obtained from the two casting processors. The fatigue tests were conducted by load control according to ASTM E466 standard procedure with zero to max loading. The failed surfaces of the specimens were also observed by using SEM. The microstructural analyses were conducted for the specimens obtained from the casting and forging processors. Micro-hardness values in the cross-section of a forged specimen were relatively consistent compared to those of cast specimens. From this study, it was clearly observed that the production methods affect to the microstructures and mechanical behavior of the magnesium alloys.     

Effects of annealing treatment on the ratcheting behavior of extruded AZ31B magnesium alloy under asymmetrical uniaxial cyclic loading

The objective of this investigation is to study the effects of annealing treatment on the ratcheting behavior of extruded AZ31B magnesium alloy. First, the microstructures and monotonic tensile properties of the extruded and annealed alloys were assessed. The results showed that the grain size increased slightly with increasing annealing time until an annealing time of 6 h after which abnormal grain growth happened. Accordingly, the ultimate tensile strength of the Mg alloy decreased with increasing annealing time, while the tensile yield strength and elongation percentage of the Mg alloy increased with annealing time until the annealing time reached 2 h. The cyclic softening/hardening behavior of the annealed AZ31B Mg alloy was similar to that of the extruded alloy: first an apparent cyclic softening was observed, then a cyclic hardening occurred, and finally a stable state was reached. The annealing treatment delayed the occurrence of the cyclic hardening. It was also shown that the effects of the annealing time on the ratcheting strain of the Mg alloy depended of the loading path.     

The relationship between extrusion die line roughness and high cycle fatigue life of an AA6082 alloy

The effect of surface finish on the fatigue life of hollow extruded AA6082 was studied by comparing results from specimens with as-extruded surfaces to results from specimens with polished surfaces. Extrusion die lines are the main contributor to surface roughening, and since die lines are parallel to the extrusion direction, distinct variations exist between fatigue lives of as-extruded specimens taken longitudinal and transverse to the extrusion direction [Nanninga N, White C, Furu T, Anderson O, Dickson R. Effect of orientation and extrusion welds on the fatigue life of an Al–Mg–Si–Mn alloy. Int J Fatigue 2008;30(9):1569–78]. Polishing specimen surfaces eliminated much of the variation between specimen orientations. Fatigue lives of polished specimens containing extrusion seam welds transverse to the loading direction were also studied. The seam weld did not appear to significantly affect the fatigue life. Die lines were modeled as notches and finite element analysis (FEA) was used to estimate a linear-elastic stress concentration factor for approximating fatigue run-out values for specimens with as-extruded surfaces loaded transverse to the die lines. The predicted run-out stress values based on the FEA match well with those obtained experimentally.     

Influence of shot peening on notched fatigue properties of magnesium alloy ZK60

Abstract

The influence of shot peening on high cycle fatigue performance of notched specimen was investigated for ZK60 and ZK60-T5 magnesium alloys. The results show that the notched fatigue strengths (at 10⁷ cycles) for ZK60 and ZK60-T5 alloys increase from 150 and 155 MPa to 220 and 240 MPa at the optimum Almen intensity of 0·30 and 0·40 mmN respectively. In comparison to ZK60 alloy in extruded condition, higher notched fatigue performances of both unpeened and peened specimens were observed for ZK60-T5 alloy.     

High cycle fatigue behavior of as-extruded ZK60 magnesium alloy

Tensile and high cycle fatigue properties of hot extruded ZK60 magnesium alloy have been investigated, in comparison to that of hot-extruded plus T5 heat-treated ZK60 magnesium alloy which was named as ZK60-T5. High cycle fatigue tests were carried out at a stress rate (R) of −1 and a frequency of 100 Hz using hour-glass-shaped round specimens with a gage diameter of 5.8 mm. The results show that tensile strength greatly improved and elongation is also slightly enhanced after T5 heat treatment, and the fatigue strength (at 10⁷ cycles) of ZK60 magnesium alloy increases from 140 to 150 MPa after T5 heat treatment, i.e., the improvement of 7% in fatigue strength has been achieved. Results of microstructure observation suggest that improvement of mechanical properties of ZK60 magnesium alloy is due to precipitation strengthening phase and texture strengthening by T5 heat treatment. In addition, fatigue crack initiations of ZK60 and ZK60-T5 magnesium alloys were observed to occur from the specimen surface and crack propagation was characterized by striation-like features coupled with secondary cracks.     

Corrosion fatigue of extruded magnesium alloys

Corrosion fatigue tests were carried out on extruded AZ31 (3% Al, 1% Zn, 0.3% Mn, Mg—the rest), AM50 (5% Al, 0.4% Mn, Mg—the rest) and ZK60 (5% Zn, 0.5% Zr, Mg—the rest) Mg alloys in air, NaCl-based and borate solutions. N_sol/N_air ratios (the relative fatigue life) were used for the analysis of the corrosion fatigue behavior of Mg alloys in various environments, where N_sol and N_air are the numbers of cycles to failure in the solution and in air, respectively. Extruded ZK60 alloy reveals very high fatigue and corrosion fatigue properties in comparison with other alloys. However, it has the lowest relative fatigue life (N_sol/N_air 10⁻³–10⁻²) or the highest sensitivity to the action of NaCl-based solutions in comparison with that of AM50 and AZ31 alloys (N_sol/N_air 10⁻²–10⁻¹). Under the same stress, the corrosion fatigue life of extruded alloys is significantly longer than that of die-cast alloys (N_sol for extruded AM50 in NaCl is two to three times longer than that of die-cast AM50).     

The effect of load ratio on fatigue life and crack propagation behavior of an extruded magnesium alloy

Fatigue experiments were carried out in laboratory air using an extruded magnesium alloy, AZ31, to investigate the effect of load ratio on the fatigue life and crack propagation behavior. The crack propagation behavior was analyzed using a modified linear elastic fracture mechanics parameter, M. The relation crack propagation rate vs. M parameter was found to be useful in predicting fatigue lives at different R ratios. Good agreement between the estimated and the experimental results at each stress ratio was obtained.     

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.     

Corrosion fatigue behavior of extruded AZ80, AZ61, and AM60 magnesium alloys in distilled water

Rotary bending fatigue tests were conducted in laboratory air and distilled water using three extruded magnesium (Mg) alloys AZ80, AZ61, and AM60 with different chemical compositions. In laboratory air, the fatigue strengths at high stress levels were similar in all alloys because cracks initiated at Al-Mg intermetallic compounds, whereas AZ80 with the largest Al content exhibited the highest fatigue strength at low stress levels, which was attributed to the crack initiation due to cyclic slip deformation in the matrix microstructure. In distilled water, fatigue strengths were considerably decreased due to the formation of corrosion pits in all alloys, and the difference of fatigue strength at low stress levels among the alloys disappeared, indicating that the addition of Al that improved the fatigue strength in laboratory air was detrimental to corrosion fatigue. __________ Translated from Problemy Prochnosti, No. 1, pp. 141–145, January–February, 2008.     

Observations and modeling of the small fatigue crack behavior of an extruded AZ61 magnesium alloy

The objective of this paper is to quantify the microstructurally small fatigue crack growth of an extruded AZ61 magnesium alloy. Fully reversed and interrupted load-controlled tests were conducted on notched specimens that were taken from the material in the longitudinal and transverse orientations with respect to the extrusion direction. In order to measure crack growth, replicas of the notch surface were made using a dual-step silicon-rubber compound at periodic cyclic intervals. By using microscopic analysis of the replica surfaces, crack initiation sites from numerous locations and crack growth rates were determined. A marked acceleration/deceleration was observed to occur in cracks of smaller length scales due to local microheterogeneities consistent with prior observations of small fatigue crack interaction with the native microstructure and texture. Finally, a microstructure-sensitive multistage fatigue model was employed to estimate the observed crack growth behavior and fatigue life with respect to the microstructure with the most notable item being the grain orientation. The crack growth rate and fatigue life estimates are shown to compare well to published findings for pure magnesium single crystal atomistic simulations.     

Cyclic shear deformation and fatigue of extruded Mg-Gd-Y magnesium alloy

Deformation and fatigue of extruded Mg-8.0 Gd-3.0 Y-0.5 Zr(GW83, wt%) magnesium(Mg) alloy were experimentally investigated under cyclic torsion using tubular specimen fabricated along the extrusion direction. The controlled shear strain amplitudes ranged from 0.606% to 4.157%. Twinning and detwinning of extension twins are observed to take place during cyclic torsion and the shear stress-shear strain hysteresis loops display a perfectly symmetric shape at all tested strain amplitudes. Marginal cyclic softening is observed when the shear strain amplitude is higher than 1.732%. The strain-life fatigue curve shows two kink points, corresponding to the shear strain amplitude of 1.040% and 1.732%, respectively.When the shear strain amplitude is higher than the upper kink point, early fatigue crack is found to initiate on the maximum shear plane. When the strain amplitude is lower than the lower kink point,fatigue cracking is parallel to the maximum tensile plane. At an identical equivalent strain amplitude,the fatigue life under pure shear is much higher than that under tension-compression. The fatigue life of extruded GW83 alloy is much higher than that of extruded AZ31 B alloy at the same plastic strain energy density.     

Application of ultrasound for fatigue testing of lightweight alloys

The use of aluminium and magnesium alloys offers a great potential for weight reduction in automotive applications. Load-bearing car components are subjected to 10⁸ cycles and more during service, and the high-cycle fatigue properties of construction materials are therefore of great interest.
The time-saving ultrasound fatigue testing method has been used to study the fatigue properties of a high-pressure, die-cast magnesium alloy AZ91  hp and a post-forged, cast-aluminium alloy AlSi7Mg0.3 in ambient air and saltwater (5wt% sodium chloride) spray. In ambient air, fatigue cracks in AZ91  hp emanate from voids, and it is possible to correlate void areas with the numbers of cycles-to-failure. Post-forging of AlSi7Mg0.3 reduces the numbers and size of voids. The remaining small voids (void areas smaller than 9000  μm² ) do not significantly reduce lifetimes. Saltwater deteriorates the fatigue properties of both the lightweight alloys. With increasing numbers of cycles, the influence of the corrosive liquid on fatigue strength becomes more pronounced.