The effect of cerium on high-cycle fatigue properties of die-cast magnesium alloy

The effect of cerium (Ce) on high‐cycle fatigue behaviour of die‐cast magnesium alloy AZ91D was investigated. Mechanical fatigue tests were conducted at the stress ratio, R= 0.1 on specimens of AZ91D alloys with different Ce additions. The microstructure and fatigue fracture surfaces of specimens were examined using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) to reveal the micromechanisms of fatigue crack initiation and propagation. The results show that the grain size of AZ91D is refined, and the amount of porosity decreases and evenly distributes with the addition of Ce. The fatigue strength of AZ91D evaluated by the up‐and‐down load method increases from 96.7 MPa to 116.3 MPa (1% Ce) and 105.5 MPa (2% Ce), respectively. The fatigue cracking of AZ91D alloy initiates at porosities and inclusions of the alloy's interior, and propagates along the grain boundaries. The fatigue fracture surface of test specimens shows the mixed fracture characteristics of quasi‐cleavage and dimple.     

Influence of nano-sized carbon nanotube reinforcements on tensile deformation,cyclic fatigue,and final fracture behavior of a magnesium alloy

Magnesium alloy (AZ31) based metal matrix composite reinforced with carbon nanotubes (CNTs) was fabricated using the technique of disintegrated melt deposition followed by hot extrusion. In this research paper, the microstructure, hardness, tensile properties, tensile fracture, high cycle fatigue characteristics, and final fracture behavior of CNTs-reinforced magnesium alloy composite (denoted as AZ31/1.0 vol.% CNT or AZ31/CNT) is presented, discussed, and compared with the unreinforced counterpart (AZ31). The elastic modulus, yield strength, tensile strength of the reinforced magnesium alloy was noticeably higher compared to the unreinforced counterpart. The ductility, quantified both by elongation-to-failure and reduction in cross-section area of the composite was higher than the monolithic counterpart. A comparison of the CNT-reinforced magnesium alloy with the unreinforced counterpart revealed a noticeable improvement in cyclic fatigue life at the load ratios tested. At all values of maximum stress, both the reinforced and unreinforced magnesium alloy was found to degrade the cyclic fatigue life at a lower ratio, i.e., under conditions of fully reversed loading. The viable mechanisms responsible for the enhanced cyclic fatigue life and tensile behavior of the composite are rationalized in light of macroscopic fracture mode and intrinsic microscopic mechanisms governing fracture.     

AZ91D室温环境棘轮及其低周疲劳行为

通过AZ91D室温环境应力控制下的低周疲劳试验,对铸造镁合金棘轮及其低周疲劳行为进行了研究,讨论了室温环境下材料的应力循环特性、棘轮行为、塑性应变范围、全应变范围等疲劳参量随载荷水平和加载历史的变化规律,同时基于平均应力修正对材料的应力-寿命曲线进行了讨论。研究结果表明:AZ91D在室温环境下的应力循环呈循环硬化,材料的棘轮行为和塑性应变范围、全应变范围等疲劳参量依赖于载荷水平和加载历史,另外考虑平均应力修正后的应力-寿命曲线预测效果有明显改观。     

Evaluating the improvement of corrosion residual strength by adding 1.0 wt.% yttrium into an AZ91D magnesium alloy

The influence of yttrium on the corrosion residual strength of an AZ91D magnesium alloy was investigated detailedly. Scanning electron microscope was employed to analyze the microstructure and the fractography of the studied alloys. The microstructure of AZ91D magnesium alloy is remarkably refined due to the addition of yttrium. The electrochemical potentiodynamic polarization curve of the studied alloy was performed with a CHI 660b electrochemical station in the three-electrode system. The result reveals that yttrium significantly promotes the overall corrosion resistance of AZ91D magnesium alloy by suppressing the cathodic reaction in corrosion process. However, the nucleation and propagation of corrosion pits on the surface of the 1.0 wt.% Y modified AZ91D magnesium alloy indicate that pitting corrosion still emerges after the addition of yttrium. Furthermore, stress concentration caused by corrosion pits should be responsible for the drop of corrosion residual strength although the addition of yttrium remarkably weakens the effect of stress concentration at the tip of corrosion pits in loading process.     

Cyclic deformation behaviour and fatigue crack propagation in AZ91HP and AM50HP

Abstract

The purpose of the present work was to investigate room temperature cyclic deformation and crack propagation behaviour in the most widely used die casting magnesium alloy AZ91HP with different heat treatments. In addition, examination of the low cycle fatigue properties of solid solution treated alloy AZ91HP-T4 was emphasised in comparison with AM50HP. Obvious cyclic strain hardening was found in low cycle fatigue tests, especially for AZ91HP-T4 at high cyclic strain amplitudes. Nevertheless, it was very difficult to evaluate differences in low cycle fatigue behaviour between die casting alloy AZ91HP-F, artificially aged alloy AZ91HP-T6, solution treated alloy AZ91HP-T4, and AM50HP(-F) because of the scatter of test data. However, it may be concluded that the last two alloys had greater plastic strain components during cyclic deformation, and AZ91HP-T4 exhibited a longer fatigue life than that of AM50HP at the highest strain amplitude. According to results of tests carried out on AZ91HP compact tension (CT) specimens, it was concluded that solution treatment could reduce the fatigue crack propagation rate, and plasticity induced crack closure was considered to have a predominant effect on fatigue crack propagation.     

Effects of Ca addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91magnesium alloy

The effects of Ca addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91 magnesium alloy have been studied. The results show that the Ca addition can refine the microstructure, reduce the quantity of Mg₁₇Al₁₂ phase, and form new Al₂Ca phase in AZ91 magnesium alloy. With the Ca addition, the tensile strength and elongation of AZ91magnesium alloy at ambient temperature are reduced, whereas Ca addition confers elevated temperature strengthening on AZ91 magnesium alloy. The tensile strength at 150°C increases with increasing Ca content. The impact toughness of AZ91magnesium alloy increases, and then declines as the Ca content increases. The tensile and impact fractographs exhibit intergranular fracture features, Ca addition changes the pattern and quantity of tearing ridge, with radial or parallel tearing ridge increasing, tensile strength, elongation and impact toughness reduce.     

挤压对AZ91铸造镁合金力学性能的影响

对挤压变形前后的AZ91镁合金进行了微观组织和力学性能研究.结果表明:挤压成形后合金的抗拉强度和塑性均得到提高;孪晶的产生,导致挤压合金室温压缩的应力-应变曲线上有屈服平台出现;晶粒尺寸强烈影响合金的强度.室温时,挤压合金的流变强度较铸态的高,而高温压缩的强度则较铸态的低.     

Betriebsfestigkeit von Magnesium‐Gussbauteilen unter schlagartigen und zyklischen Beanspruchungen ohne und mit plastischen Vorverformungen infolge von Sonderbelastungen

Structural Durability of Cast Magnesium Components under Impact and Cyclic Loading without and with Plastic Pre‐Deformations due to Special Events Specimens and engine brackets manufactured by the high pressure die cast magnesium alloy MRI‐4 showed superior fatigue properties under constant amplitude loading compared to AZ‐91. No significant differences were observed by impact tests with components. However MRI‐4 components presented a lower fatigue life under variable amplitude loading and a real damage sum, which was significantly lower than 1. A plastic pre‐deformation of the MRI‐4 components increased their fatigue strength, while the components of AZ‐91 revealed a neutral behaviour.     

Effects of Ca combined with Sr additions on microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91D magnesium alloy

Abstract

Weight reduction to improve automobile fuel economy has triggered renewed interest in magnesium. The effects of Ca/Sr separate and composite additions to AZ91D magnesium alloy on its microstructure and mechanical properties have been investigated. The results indicate Ca can refine both the grain and eutectic phase of AZ91D magnesium alloy. Sr hampers microstructure refinement when composite Ca/Sr additions are made. In addition, separate Ca additions to AZ91D magnesium alloy increase yield strength but decrease elongation of this alloy. By adjusting the Ca/Sr composite proportions, additions to AZ91D magnesium alloy are able to improve both microstructure and mechanical properties of the alloy.     

Fatigue lifetime of AZ91 magnesium alloy subjected to cyclic thermal and mechanical loadings

In the present paper, thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) and low cycle fatigue (LCF) or isothermal fatigue (IF) lifetimes of a cast magnesium alloy (the AZ91 alloy) were studied. In addition to a heat treatment process (T6), several rare elements were added to the alloy to improve the material strength in the first step. Then, the cyclic behavior of the AZ91 was investigated. For this objective, strain-controlled tension–compression fatigue tests were carried out. The temperature varied between 50 and 200 °C in the out-of-phase (OP) TMF tests. The constraint factor which was defined as the ratio of the mechanical strain to the thermal strain, was set to 75%, 100% and 125%. For LCF tests, mechanical strain amplitudes of 0.20%, 0.25% and 0.30% were considered at constant temperatures of 25 and 200 °C. Experimental fatigue results showed that the cyclic hardening behavior occurred at the room temperature in the AZ91 alloy. At higher temperatures, this alloy had a brittle fracture. But also, it was not significantly clear that the cyclic hardening or the cyclic softening behavior would be occurred in the material. Then, the high temperature LCF lifetime was more than that at the room temperature. The OP-TMF lifetime was the least value in comparison to that of LCF tests. At the end of this article, two energy-based models were applied to predict the fatigue lifetime of this magnesium alloy.     

Effects of extrusion and equal channel angular pressing on the microstructure,tensile and fatigue behaviour of the wrought magnesium alloy AZ80

The microstructure, mechanical properties, fatigue life and fatigue crack propagation rate of Mg‐8Al‐0.5Zn‐0.3Mn (AZ80) magnesium alloy were investigated after extrusion and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP). The highest ultimate and yield strengths and a large enhancement in the fatigue lifetime were obtained after two passes of ECAP. These were decreased with further pressing, although the grain size became finer. There was a correlation between the fatigue and ultimate strengths of AZ80 alloy. The transition from twinning to dislocation slip has also occurred at an average grain size of 7.9 μm. Simultaneous influences of the grain size and the yield strength caused an almost the same threshold of the stress intensity ratio for different process conditions. Moreover, the enhanced ductility of the ECAPed alloy resulted in an increase in the crack growth resistance because of its better ability to accommodate plastic strains during cycling.     

Influence of transverse load on the high cycle fatigue behaviour of low pressure cast AZ91 magnesium alloy

A new testing procedure, employing transverse load was adopted to investigate the high cycle fatigue behaviour of low pressure cast AZ91 magnesium alloy. The tests were conducted with an electro dynamic shaker system by employing specimens fabricated as per ASTM standard. S–N plot was generated from the test results and compared with that of gravity cast AZ91 alloy tested in identical ambience. The influence of transverse load on the fatigue behaviour of these alloys is discussed. As fatigue cracks were found to have initiated in pores in most of the tested samples, pores were assumed as initial cracks as per linear fracture mechanics and the critical stress intensity amplitude (K_cr) was estimated. Structure–fatigue property correlations are discussed using fractographs. Mean stress effect on the fatigue properties and effects of alloying constituents are also discussed.     

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.     

Fatigue strength of die-cast magnesium components

There is a commercial interest to extend the use of die‐cast magnesium from low stress applications, such as interior components of motor vehicles, to components carrying significant loads. In high stress applications it is the strength and fatigue properties of die‐cast magnesium alloys that limit their use. Manufacturing defects, such as microscopic shrink holes, pores and oxide inclusions, impair the strength of components under fatigue loads, but are unavoidable with present‐day magnesium casting technology. In the present study, the effects of different rib thicknesses and notch radii on the fatigue strength were investigated on realistic cast specimens with unmachined surfaces. The tests were performed on ribbed specimens of magnesium alloys AZ91 and AM60 under pulsating bending stress with a constant amplitude at a stress ratio R = 0. As indicated by the results of the investigation, the real material must be considered together with its defects in designing die‐cast magnesium components. For this purpose, the influence of defects must therefore be given a higher priority than the local stresses at the surface.     

Thermo-mechanical behaviours of light alloys in comparison to high temperature isothermal behaviours

Abstract

In this article, out-of-phase thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) behaviours of light alloys were investigated in comparison to their high temperature low cycle fatigue (LCF) behaviours. For this objective, strain based fatigue tests were performed on the A356 aluminium alloy and on the AZ91 magnesium alloy. Besides, TMF tests were carried out, where both strain and temperature changed. The fatigue lifetime comparison demonstrated that the TMF lifetime was less than that one under LCF loadings at elevated temperatures for both light alloys. The reason was due to severe conditions in TMF tests in comparison to LCF tests. The temperature varied in TMF test but it was constant under LCF loadings. As the other reason, the tensile mean stress occurred under TMF loadings, in comparison to the compressive mean stress under LCF loadings. At high temperatures, the cyclic hardening behaviour occurred in the AZ91 alloy and the A356 alloy had the cyclic softening behaviour.     

Anisotropy of the fatigue behavior of extruded and rolled magnesium alloys

Fatigue tests were conducted using both extruded and rolled magnesium alloys AZ31 to study anisotropy of the fatigue behavior of the alloys. For the above purpose, two types of specimens whose longitudinal axes are parallel (E specimen) and perpendicular (T specimen) to the extrusion direction were prepared for the extruded Mg alloy. For the rolled Mg alloy, three types of specimens, whose longitudinal axes are parallel (R specimen) and perpendicular (T and S specimens) to the rolling direction, were prepared. S–N curves and crack propagation characteristics for both the extruded and rolled specimens with different longitudinal directions were studied to investigate the effects of the texture, microstructures and residual stresses on the fatigue behavior of the magnesium alloy AZ31. Anisotropy of the fatigue behavior was observed for both the extruded and the rolled magnesium alloys. In the extruded Mg alloy, differences in both fatigue lives and fatigue limit exist between E and T specimens. The fatigue resistance for the former is superior to that of the latter. In the rolled Mg alloy, lesser differences were found between R and T specimens. However, fatigue lives of the S specimens were clearly shorter than those of the former at the high stress amplitudes above the fatigue limit. In the extruded Mg alloy, the rod-like microstructure observed is an important factor contributing to the anisotropy of the fatigue behavior of the alloy. While in the rolled Mg alloy, the texture induced during processing is considered to play a dominant role in the anisotropy of the fatigue behavior of the alloy.     

AZ31镁合金搅拌摩擦焊接头断裂机制

对AZ31镁合金搅拌摩擦焊接头进行力学性能实验.拉伸、疲劳实验结果显示,AZ31镁合金搅拌摩擦焊接头抗拉强度可以达到母材强度的92.9%,断裂位置在前进面的机械热影响区,认为是前进面机械热影响区不均匀的层状组织和应力集中作用的结果.扫描电镜显示:断口有明显的撕裂纹和纤维状组织.     

Enhanced mechanical response of hybrid alloy AZ31/AZ91 based on the addition of Si3N4 nanoparticles

The main aim of this study was to simultaneously increase tensile strength and ductility of AZ31/AZ91 hybrid magnesium alloy with Si₃N₄ nanoparticles. AZ31/AZ91 hybrid alloy nanocomposite containing Si₃N₄ nanoparticle reinforcement was fabricated using solidification processing followed by hot extrusion. The nanocomposite exhibited similar grain size to the monolithic hybrid alloy, reasonable Si₃N₄ nanoparticle distribution, non-dominant (0 0 0 2) texture in the longitudinal direction, and 13% higher hardness than the monolithic hybrid alloy. Compared to the monolithic hybrid alloy (in tension), the nanocomposite simultaneously exhibited higher yield strength, ultimate strength, failure strain and work of fracture (+12%, +5%, +64% and +71%, respectively). Compared to the monolithic hybrid alloy (in compression), the nanocomposite exhibited higher yield strength and ultimate strength, lower failure strain and higher work of fracture (+35%, +4%, −6% and +6%, respectively). The beneficial effects of Si₃N₄ nanoparticle addition on the enhancement of tensile and compressive properties of AZ31/AZ91 hybrid alloy are investigated in this paper.     

等径道角 挤压工艺对铸态 AZ91D 镁合金组织的影响

目的介绍等径道角挤压的原理及其对铸态AZ91D镁合金的组织产生的作用。方法通过确定的试验工艺参数,对AZ91D镁合金进行了等径道角挤压变形试验。使用金相显微镜和扫描电镜(SEM),对变形前后的材料进行了显微组织的观察。结果通过进行ECAE挤压后,AZ91D镁合金中的黑色共晶相(Mg17Al12)产生了回溶,在机械剪切和动态再结晶的综合作用下,晶粒得到了细化。结论通过等径道角挤压,能明显改善铸态AZ91D镁合金的组织。     

石墨烯纳米片/AZ91镁基复合材料的显微组织与力学性能

采用铸造工艺制备了石墨烯纳米片(GNPs)增强的AZ91镁基复合材料,测试了复合材料的力学性能,并利用光学显微镜、X射线衍射仪、透射电子显微镜、扫描电子显微镜和能谱仪对复合材料的微观组织、界面结合和断口形貌进行了表征和分析,讨论了复合材料的强化机理。结果表明:石墨烯纳米片可有效细化镁基体的晶粒组织,在添加少量石墨烯纳米片时(0.1%),复合材料的屈服强度、延伸率和显微硬度分别为(164±5)MPa、(7.7±0.1)%和(74.2±2)HV,比基体分别提高了37.8%、13.2%和24.7%。GNPs与镁基体形成了强界面结合,这更有利于发挥应力转移强化、细晶强化等作用,提高镁合金强度、塑性等力学性能。