Microstructural basis for improved corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of fabricated ultra-fine grained Mg-Akermanite composites

In the present research, a composite with a magnesium alloy (WE43) as the matrix and Akermanite as the bioactive and reinforcing agent was fabricated by friction stir processing (FSP), resulting in a microstructure with uniformly distributed fine grains, second-phase particles and micro-sized Akermanite particles. The effect of an addition of...

Simulation of deformation and fracture initiation during equal channel angular pressing of AZ31 magnesium alloy with covered tube casing

The present research was aimed at lowering the deformation temperature by applying cover tube casing (CTC) to AZ31 magnesium alloy samples subjected to equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) without triggering surface defects and/or fracture. The Cockcroft-Latham (C & L) fracture model was incorporated into finite element simulation and...

An experimental and theoretical investigation of the effect of second-phase particles on grain growth during the annealing of hot-rolled AZ61 magnesium alloy

The mechanical properties of a magnesium alloy strongly depend on its grain structure. It is desirable to minimize grain growth during the post-forming annealing treatment, thereby minimizing the loss in strength while regaining ductility. In the present research, the annealing of the hot-rolled AZ61 Mg alloy at different temperatures for...

The effect of addition of hardystonite on the strength, ductility and corrosion resistance of WE43 magnesium alloy

A composite material based on the WE43 magnesium alloy and containing nano-sized hardystonite ceramic particles was processed by means of friction stir processing (FSP). Compressive strength and strain-at-failure of the WE43 alloy increased as a combined result of FSP and nanoparticle reinforcement. The results of potentiondynamic...

A novel approach to determine residual stress field during FSW of AZ91 Mg alloy using combined smoothed particle hydrodynamics/neuro-fuzzy computations and ultrasonic testing

The faults in welding design and process every so often yield defective parts during friction stir welding (FSW). The development of numerical approaches including the finite element method (FEM) provides a way to draw a process paradigm before any physical implementation. It is not practical to simulate all possible designs to identify the...

A comprehensive investigation of the strengthening effects of dislocations, texture and low and high angle grain boundaries in ultrafine grained AA6063 aluminum alloy

The effect of equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AA6063 aluminum alloy was investigated. For this purpose, samples of AA6063 aluminum alloy were deformed up to 10 passes using ECAP and the evolution of microstructure, texture and dislocation density was investigated. It was found that the...

Improvement of mechanical properties of AA6063 aluminum alloy after equal channel angular pressing by applying a two-stage solution treatment

A two-stage solution treatment composed of an initial soaking at 420 °C for 10 min and the second soaking at 500 °C for 10 min was applied to cold-worked AA6063 aluminum alloy samples after equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) for two and four passes. The microstructures and mechanical properties of the samples were compared with those of...

Simultaneous improvements of the strength and ductility of fine-grained AA6063 alloy with increasing number of ECAP passes

In this research, grain refinement through severe plastic deformation (SPD) in combination with a thermal treatment to create a fine initial grain structure with a high degree of supersaturation was taken as a viable approach to achieving simultaneous increases in the hardness, strength and ductility of the aluminum alloy AA6063 during...