Effect of severe plastic deformation on microstructure of squeeze-cast magnesium alloy AZ31 plate

Abstract

High cost and poor room temperature formability of magnesium alloy sheet are the key factors that limit its application as a feedstock material for press forming. Production of Mg plates by squeeze casting with further processing by severe plastic deformation (SPD) is a potential method to reduce cost and improve formability. In this study, AZ31 Mg plate of dimension 96×96×4 mm was successfully produced by squeeze casting, using a novel melt transfer technique, at a forging force and speed of 180 Ton and 200 mm/sec respectively. The effect of severe plastic deformation (SPD) using groove pressing on the mechanical properties of squeeze-casted Mg plate after partial homogenization was subsequently investigated. Observation of the microstructure after two cycles of groove pressing, under decreasing temperature from 543K to 493K, shows a significant grain refinement from 39 to 4.7 µm. The Vickers hardness increased by approximately 25% from 56 to 74.1 which suggests an improvement in mechanical strength as a result of both the grain refinement and work hardening. The result shows that squeeze casting combined with groove pressing is potentially an effective method for preparation of thin magnesium alloy plate with fine-grained structure and improved mechanical properties.