Materials Science Forum Vols. 488-489

Abstract: Corrosion resistance is an important property that could be affected by the ageing process. In order to investigate whether aging affects the corrosion resistance, corrosion rate and yield strength of diecast magnesium alloy AZ91D were measured and analysed after ageing. It was found that the dependence of the corrosion rate on ageing time can be ascribed to the changes in microstructure of the alloy and chemical composition of its matrix. Precipitation of the β phase (Mg17Al12) occurred along the grain boundaries during the initial ageing stages, resulting in a decreasing corrosion rate and an inceasing yield strength. In the later stages, the decreasing aluminium content in the a matrix made it more active, causing an increase in the corrosion rate. The decrease in aluminium content in the matrix also leads to a decrease in yield strength.

Abstract: The normal and inverse solute macro-segregation are known to occur in Al and other nonferrous alloy castings and have been well studied and documented. However, these phenomena have not been investigated in the high-pressure die-cast Mg-alloys. Consequently, the effects of macro-segregation on the mechanical properties of cast Mg-alloys have not been characterized. The objective of this contribution is to investigate the effects of inverse macro-segregation and porosity on the fatigue behavior of high-pressure die-cast AM60 alloy. It is observed that the inverse macro-segregation of eutectic phase at the cast surfaces adversely affects the fatigue behavior: the fatigue resistance decreases substantially due to the presence of the surface segregation.

Abstract: The dynamic experiments for the Mg-Li alloys with single phase structure were carried out using the Hopkinson pressure bar. The dynamic crack propagation behavior and fracture mechanism of the alloys were investigated. The results show that the dynamic crack propagation is a deceleration process for the Mg-Li alloys under high loading rate. The fastest crack propagation velocity for Mg-3.3Li alloy is m/s 37 . 1253 , and 935.36m/s for Mg-14Li alloy. Observations of the fracture by SEM reveal that the dynamic fracture surface for Mg-3.3Li alloy mainly appears to be brittle fracture along grain boundaries. Whereas, the Mg-14Li alloy is ductile fracture mode under high loading rate. The main reason for these may be the transformation of hcp→bcc structure and the precipitation of the MgLi2Al and AlLi, as increase of Li in Mg-Li alloy.

Abstract: This paper consists of a review of investigations and the factors affecting the fatigue of Mg and its alloys. The effect of materials, loading conditions and environmental factors on fatigue is discussed in detail. Particular attention has been paid to the influence of frequencies and the pH value of solutions on the fatigue life. The correlation between the threshold stress intensity factor range (ΔKth) and load ratio (R) for Mg alloy fatigue crack propagation (FCP) is summarized in a figure. Finally, the mechanisms of fatigue and corrosion fatigue (CF), crack initiation and crack propagation are also discussed.

Abstract: Fully-reversed total-strain-amplitude-controlled fatigue tests were performed in laboratory air at room temperature for the magnesium alloy AZ91. Experimental results showed that during the experiment significant cyclic strain hardening occurred throughout the imposed strain amplitudes. It was found that the relationship between plastic strain amplitude, elastic strain amplitude and reversals to failure can be well described by Basquin and Coffin-Manson equations. In addition, the strain fatigue parameters of the AZ91 alloy were determined through analyzing the corresponding strain fatigue life data.

Abstract: The effects of inoculation on the damping property of Mg-8Zn-4Al-0.3Mn alloys have been investigated. The results show that the damping property of ZA84 alloys reduces at room temperature after the addition of RE, whereas the damping property at high temperature increases obviously. The damping property of ZA84 alloys at room temperature and high temperature improves respectively after the addition of Al5TiB. It has reached Q-1=0.01 at room temperature with 0.25% Al5TiB. There exists a damping peak in all alloys at high temperature because of the viscous sliding of the grain boundaries and the inteneration of φ (Al2Mg5Zn2) phase at high temperature. It was found that the addition of RE could delay the temperature of damping peak occurs. The main damping mechanisms of ZA84 magnesium alloys with RE and Al5TiB additions are the dislocation damping and interface damping. The higher the movable dislocation density is, the finer the grains are and the more the grain boundaries and phase interfaces are, the better damping property of ZA84 alloys is.

Abstract: Equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was applied to an as-cast AZ91D magnesium alloy. The strain amplitude dependence and temperature dependence of damping capacities of the as-cast and ECAE processed AZ91D alloys were investigated by dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA). Microstructures of AZ91D alloys after ECAE were observed by optical microscopy (OM). In higher strain region, the damping value of 4-pass ECAE deformed AZ91D alloy was the highest among all the AZ91D alloys under different conditions. The damping peaks of ECAE deformed AZ91D alloys detected during heating from room temperature to 400°C were considered to be related to the migration of grain boundaries and the movement of dislocations during recrystallization.

Abstract: The dry sliding wear behavior of magnesium-matrix-composites (MMC) reinforced by boron carbide particulates (B4Cp) has been investigated. Magnesium is the lightest structural material and is a good choice as a metal matrix for boron carbide and silicon carbide addition. Magnesium and its alloys, without reinforcement, are generally not suitable for mechanical applications due to their low wear resistance. The MMCs used in this study were produced via highpressure die-casting technique. The wear resistance of B4C/AZ91D composite reinforced with 12 and 25 wt% B4C were studied, compared with unreinforced diecast AZ91D. As-cast microstructures of the materials and boron carbide particules were characterized by using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). The hardness values of the control sample and the composites were determined via Vickers hardness measurements. Pin on disk dry sliding wear tests were carried out to study wear rate and wear mechanisms. The magnesium matrix composites were used as pins while mild steel as disc material. The worn surfaces of pins were examined by using SEM. The wear performance of magnesium matrix composites was improved with increasing volume fraction of B4C up to a certain level.

Abstract: The paper studied the fretting properties and the fretting mechanism of AZ91D and AM60B magnesium alloy. The results showed that the AZ91D alloy displayed lower friction coefficient and smaller wear volume than those of AM60B alloy, and also showed superior ability than those of AM60B in resisting crack nucleation and propagation. The fretting wear mechanisms of AZ91D and AM60B alloy were similar, including adhesion wear, surface fatigue wears and abrasive wear.