In-situ white beam microdiffraction study of the deformation behavior in polycrystalline magnesium alloy during uniaxial loading

Scanning white beam X-ray microdiffraction has been used to study the heterogeneous grain deformation in a polycrystalline Mg alloy (MgAZ31). The high spatial resolution achieved on beamline 7.3.3 at the Advanced Light Source provides a unique method to measure the elastic strain and orientation of single grains as a function of applied load. To carry out in-situ measurements a light weight (~0.5kg) tensile stage, capable of providing uniaxial loads of up to 600kg, was designed to collect diffraction data on the loading and unloading cycle. In-situ observation of the deformation process provides insight about the crystallographic deformation mode via twinning and dislocation slip.

A physically based phenomenological model for deformation twinning in magnesium alloy

A partial differential equation is developed that captures the evolution of key characteristics of tensile twinning in magnesium base alloys. The objective is to provide a framework for ascertaining the effects of hardening – due to grain refinement, precipitation and dislocation substructure – on twin volume fraction, thickness and length. The model is developed with the help of observations made on alloy AZ31. It is shown that it is necessary to consider the nucleation of twins at locations where neighbouring twins impinge on the grain boundary. The model provides a reasonable approximation for the role of grain size on twinning. It predicts a period of low apparent work hardening following yielding and shows that this should be more extensive for finer grain sizes, in agreement with experiment. Finally, some predictions are made on the effect of changing the resistance to twinning.

A study on compressive anisotropy and nonassociated flow plasticity of the AZ31 Magnesium Alloy in hot rolling

Effect of anisotropy in compression is studied on hot rolling of AZ31 magnesium alloy with a three-dimensional constitutive model based on the quadratic Hill48 yield criterion and nonassociated flow rule (non-AFR). The constitutive model is characterized by compressive tests of AZ31 billets since plastic deformations of materials are mostly caused by compression during rolling processes. The characterized plasticity model is implemented into ABAQUS/Explicit as a user-defined material subroutine (VUMAT) based on semi-implicit backward Euler's method. The subroutine is employed to simulate square-bar rolling processes. The simulation results are compared with rolled specimens and those predicted by the von Mises and the Hill48 yield function under AFR. Moreover, strip rolling is also simulated for AZ31 with the Hill48 yield function under non-AFR. The strip rolling simulation demonstrates that the lateral spread generated by the non-AFR model is in good agreement with experimental data. These comparisons between simulation and experiments validate that the proposed Hill48 yield function under non-AFR provides satisfactory description of plastic deformation behavior in hot rolling for AZ31 alloys in case that the anisotropic parameters in the Hill48 yield function and the non-associated flow rule are calibrated by the compressive experimental results.

Electrosprayed PLGA smart containers for active anti-corrosion coating on magnesium alloy Amlite

A novel self-healing system, consisting of poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) porous particles loaded with a corrosion inhibitor, i.e. benzotriazole (BTA), has been successfully achieved via direct electro-spray deposition and subsequent epoxy spraying upon magnesium (Mg) alloy AMlite. The two-step process greatly simplified the multi-step fabrication of smart coatings reported previously. The PLGA particles demonstrate rapid response to both water and pH increase incurred by corrosion of Mg, ensuring instant and ongoing release of BTA to self-heal the protective functionality and retard further corrosion. Furthermore, nanopores in the PLGA–BTA microparticles, formed by the fast evaporation of dichloromethane during the electrospray process, also contribute to the fast release of BTA. Using Mg alloy AMlite as a model substrate which requires corrosion protection, potentiodynamic polarisation characterisation and scratch testing were adopted to reveal the anti-corrosion capability of the active coating.

Evaluating the corrosion behaviour of magnesium alloy in simulated biological fluid by using SECM to detect hydrogen evolution

Scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) in surface generation/tip collection mode is investigated as an assessment tool for studying the corrosion behaviour of magnesium in simulated biological fluid. The technique provides a local map of hydrogen (H2) evolution which alone can be used as a direct measure of corrosion. The H2 generated during corrosion of magnesium is oxidized at the probe(i.e. a Pt ultra micro-electrode);with the magnitude of the current generated due to oxidation being indicative of the intensity of H2 evolution at a local scale on the magnesium surface. This method was calibrated using a cathodically polarized Pt disk to simulate H2 evolution in a controlled condition on a homogeneous surface. Potential interference from dissolving Mg or high local pH was also investigated. The technique was implemented for studying H2 evolution at the surface of AZ31 as a model Mg alloy.SECM results combined with SEM-EDX and profilometry data revealed that local domains of higher H2 evolution on the surface of AZ31 are in close proximityof the observed pitting sites.

Wrought magnesium alloy

A magnesium-based alloy consisting of, by weight: 0.5 to 1.5% manganese, 0.05 to 0.5% rare earth of which more than 70% is lanthanum, 0 to 1.5% zinc and 0 to 0.1% strontium, the balance being magnesium except for incidental impurities.

Influence of orientation on twin nucleation and growth at low strains in a magnesium alloy

The resolved shear stress is believed to play an important role in twin formation. The present study tests this idea for an extruded magnesium alloy by examining "tension" twinning in different grain orientations. Electron backscatter diffraction analysis is employed for alloy AZ31 tested in compression along the extrusion axis to strains between 0.008 and 0.015. For heavily twinned grains, it is seen that twinning occurs on 2.3 twin systems per grain on average. The active systems are also most commonly those with, or very near to, the highest Schmid factor. The most active system in multiply twinned grains accounts on average for ∼0.6 of the twinning events. In addition, it is found that the twin habit plane falls within 6° of the K1 plane. Orientations with the highest Schmid factors (0.45-0.5) for twinning display twin aspect ratios greater by ∼40% and twin number densities greater by ∼10 times than orientations with maximum Schmid factors for twinning of 0.15-0.2. Thus the Schmid factor for twinning is seen to affect nucleation more than thickening in the present material. Viscoplastic crystal plasticity simulations are employed to obtain approximations for the resolved shear stress. Both the twin aspect ratio and number density correlate quite well with this term. The effect of the former can be assumed to be linear and that of the latter follows a power law with exponent ∼13. Increased aspect ratios and number densities are seen at low Schmid factors and this may relate to stress fluctuations, caused most probably in the present material by the stress fields at the tips of blocked twins. Overall, it is evident that the dominance of twinning on high Schmid factor systems is preserved at the low strains examined in the present work, despite the stress fluctuations known to be present. © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of Al-doped Mg2Si1-xSnx compound using magnesium alloy for thermoelectric application

Abstract Mg2Si1-xSnx thermoelectric compounds were synthesized through a solid-state reaction at 700 °C between chips of Mg2Sn-Mg eutectic alloy and silicon fine powders. The Al dopants were introduced by employing AZ31 magnesium alloy that contains aluminum. The as-synthesized Mg2Si1-xSnx powders were consolidated by spark plasma sintering at 650-700 °C. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy revealed that the Mg2Si1-xSnx bulk materials were comprised of Si-rich and Sn-rich phases. Due to the complex microstructures, the electrical conductivities of Mg2Si1-xSnx are lower than Mg2Si. As a result, the average power factor of Al0.05Mg2Si0.73Sn0.27 is about 1.5 × 10^-3 W/mK² from room temperature to 850 K, being less than 2.5 × 10^-3 W/mK² for Al0.05Mg2Si. However, the thermal conductivity of Mg2Si1-xSnx was reduced significantly as compared to Al0.05Mg2Si, which enabled the ZT of Al0.05Mg2Si0.73Sn0.27 to be superior to Al0.05Mg2Si. Lastly, the electric power generation from one leg of Al0.05Mg2Si and Al0.05Mg2Si0.73Sn0.27 were evaluated on a newly developed instrument, with the peak output power of 15-20 mW at 300 °C hot-side temperature.

Distinguishing between slip and twinning events during nanoindentation of magnesium alloy AZ31

Nanoindentation was performed in selected grain orientations close to [. 112-0] and [. 101-0] in magnesium alloy Mg-3Al-1Zn. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) were used to examine the nanoindentation imprint. Two critical events, yielding and pop-in were observed in the depth-load curves. Slip trace analysis suggests that basal slip is responsible for yielding. The following pop-in events at higher loads are associated with the appearance {. 101-2} twins on the surface. The critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) was estimated to be in the range of 220-400. MPa for the initiation of basal slip.

A microstructure based model of the deformation mechanisms and flow stress during elevated temperature straining of a magnesium alloy

We show that the variation of flow stress with strain rate and grain size in a magnesium alloy deformed at a constant strain rate and 450 °C can be predicted by a crystal plasticity model that includes grain boundary sliding and diffusion. The model predicts the grain size dependence of the critical strain rate that will cause a transition in deformation mechanism from dislocation creep to grain boundary sliding, and yields estimates for grain boundary fluidity and diffusivity.