Abstract
On commercially available die-cast AZ91 magnesium (Mg) alloy, friction stir processing (FSP) was successfully done with and without pure aluminum powder in the solid state. In this article, FSP with different process parameters on die-cast AZ91 Mg alloy was investigated for microstructure, grain size and microhardness and compared with untreated die-cast AZ91 magnesium alloy. Untreated die-cast AZ91 Mg alloy showed a dendritic structure having primary α-phase and irregularly distributed eutectic β-phase (Mg17Al12) at the grain boundaries. Due to FSP, breakup and dissolution of the course network of eutectic β-phase (Mg17Al12) with noticeable grain refinement were achieved. Microstructural characterization by optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of all FSP-treated specimens revealed the grain refinement and reasonably uniform distribution of aluminum powder observed in FSPed double pass with aluminum powder specimens. Microhardness studies confirmed that double-pass friction stir-processed specimens with aluminum powder in the Mg matrix leads to improvement in hardness.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
