Elhachmi Essadiqi

Texture weakening and static recrystallization in rolled Mg–2.9Y and Mg–2.9Zn solid solution alloys

The microstructure and texture evolution in the Mg–2.9Y and Mg–2.9Zn solid solution alloys were investigated following rolling and subsequent isothermal annealing. The Mg–2.9Y alloy was hot rolled, and the Mg–2.9Zn alloy was rolled at room temperature in order to evaluate the possibility of attaining texture weakening by the suppression of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and promotion of static recrystallization (SRX). It was found that texture weakening can be attained in Mg even in the absence of Y when there is no DRX, and SRX occurs during annealing. In solid solution, Y suppresses DRX during hot rolling, and retards the kinetics of SRX and grain coarsening in Mg. In the two alloys, the orientation of statically recrystallized grains at bands/twins (TSRX grains) is close to that of double and compression twins, exhibiting a much more evenly distributed and slightly wider orientation than that of basal parent grains and twins. In both Mg–2.9Zn and Mg–2.9Y alloys, a continuous texture weakening is observed with the progress of SRX, which results in a bimodal microstructure consisting of small TSRX grains and larger ones. With the increase in grain size during coarsening, the maximum intensity of basal pole figures rises linearly, with the slope of the lines being nearly identical in the two alloys. This texture strengthening was ascribed to the consumption of small TSRX grains by larger ones.

Influence of strain rate on hot deformation behaviour and texture evolution of AZ31B

Abstract In the present work, the effects of strain rate on the flow behaviour and microstructure evolution of AZ31 Mg alloy were studied by compression testing over a wide range of strain rates (0·01–100 s−1) and temperatures (300–450°C). In addition, the influence of different strain rates on the dynamic recrystallisation (DRX) mechanisms and texture evolution was investigated. The results showed that with increasing strain rate, the twin induced DRX fraction increased at a constant temperature, and the contribution of continuous DRX decreased. On increasing the strain rate, the formation of twins and subsequent twin induced DRX intensified the basal texture in the deformed sample. In addition, the recrystallised volume fraction increased significantly with strain rate. The flow behaviour was fitted to two types of constitutive equations: power law and hyperbolic sine. Average activation energies of about 162 and 135 kJ mol−1 were obtained for the peak and steady state strain respectively.

Microstructural characterization of Mg-Al-Sr alloys

Abstract The microstructural details of fourteen Mg–Al–Sr alloys were investigated in the as-cast form by a combination of scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectrometer (SEM/EDS) analysis and quantitative electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The heat transfer method coupled with the DSC measurement has been utilized to determine the solidification curves of the alloys. The morphology and the chemical composition of the phases were characterized. The microstructure of the alloys is primarily dominated by (Mg) and (Al4Sr). In the present investigation, ternary solid solubility of three binary compounds extended into the ternary system has been reported and denoted as: (Al4Sr), (Mg17Sr2) and (Mg38Sr9). The (Al4Sr) phase is a substitutional solid solution represented by MgxAl4–xSr and has a plate-like structure. The maximum solubility of Al in Mg17Sr2 was found to be 21.3 at%. It was also observed that Mg38Sr9 dissolved 12.5 at% Al.

Warm rolling behaviour of low carbon steels

Abstract Warm (ferritic) rolling can be a low cost method of producing sheet steel products. However, for steels containing solute carbon, microstructural development during processing is affected by dynamic strain aging (DSA). This can significantly weaken the {111} texture formed during annealing, thus resulting in products with poor formabilities. It is known that the DSA behaviour can be modified by the addition of elements such as boron and chromium. Experimental low carbon (LC) steels with various additions of chromium, boron and phosphorus were warm rolled and their behaviour compared with that of a standard LC material. It was found that these additions promote the formation of shear bands under warm rolling conditions, thus resulting in a stronger {111} recrystallisation texture than that of the unmodified LC steel.

The Effect of Mo in Si-Mn Nb Bearing TRIP Steels

Experimental studies were performed to determine the effect of Mo in Si-Mn TRIP steels, as well as its potential for reducing the levels of Si. Three compositions were investigated. Bainite transformation conditions were investigated on the final mechanical properties. Results revealed that Mo has an important retardation effect on the formation of both ferrite and pearlite. The Mo and reduced Si level steel generated excellent mechanical properties (as high as: UTS=1269, T.El.=36%) in the range observed by previous investigators.

High speed rolling of Mg-3Al-1Zn alloy: texture and microstructure analysis

Abstract High speed rolling (HSR) of 1000 m min−1 was employed to successfully roll AZ31 alloy in one pass with 65% reduction in thickness at 300 and 450°C. The rollability, texture and microstructure after HSR, in comparison with low speed rolling (15 m min−1), improved significantly. It is suggested that the double peak and weaker basal texture obtained after HSR are attributed to the activation of compression and double twins. After annealing, the double peak basal texture is replaced by a single peak one, which may be due to preferential grain growth of basal grains.

Solidification Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Hot Rolled and Annealed Mg Sheet Produced through Twin Roll Casting Route

The use of wrought magnesium for automobile structural components is an important component of the mass reduction strategy for automobiles to improve their fuel efficiency. Compared to Direct chill casting, Twin Roll Casting (TRC) allows major reduction of hot rolling steps in the production of Mg sheet due to the thin thickness of the as-cast strip. This TRC route can substantially reduce the time and cost to produce Mg alloy sheet product. In this work, AZ31 magnesium alloy was casted to 5 and 6 mm thick strips under different process conditions. Microstructure of these strips was analyzed using optical microscopy, SEM and EPMA. TRC strip was annealed under two different conditions: 2 hours at 330 and 1 hour at 400°C. It has been found that heat treatment at 400°C for 1 hour reduces centerline segregation significantly. TRC strips were rolled down to 2 mm and annealed at 450°C for 2 minutes. The average grain size was 4-6 µm and mechanical properties were comparable with commercial AZ31 sheet.

Influence of cooling rate on microsegregation behavior of magnesium alloys

The effect of cooling rate on microstructure and microsegregation of three commercially important magnesium alloys was investigated using Wedge (V-shaped) castings of AZ91D, AM60B, and AE44 alloys. Thermocouples were distributed to measure the cooling rate at six different locations of the wedge casts. Solute redistribution profiles were drawn based on the chemical composition analysis obtained by EDS/WDS analysis. Microstructural and morphological features such as dendrite arm spacing and secondary phase particle size were analyzed using both optical and scanning electron microscopes. Dendritic arm spacing and secondary phase particle size showed an increasing trend with decreasing cooling rate for the three alloys. Area percentage of secondary phase particles decreased with decreasing cooling rate for AE44 alloy. The trend was different for AZ91D and AM60B alloys, for both alloys, area percentage of β-Mg17Al12 increased with decreasing cooling rate up to location 4 and then decreased slightly. The tendency for microsegregation was more severe at slower cooling rates, possibly due to prolonged back diffusion. At slower cooling rate, the minimum concentration of aluminum at the dendritic core was lower compared to faster cooled locations. The segregation deviation parameter and the partition coefficient were calculated from the experimentally obtained data.

Corrosion Protection of Joining Areas in Magnesium Die-Cast and Sheet Products

The common joining techniques for Mg sheet and die cast alloys such as riveting, friction-stir welding and adhesive bonding all introduce additional challenges for protection in the joining areas. First of all, the sheet products are prone to high rate of corrosion due to surface contamination. Introduction of iron-rich contaminants can be encountered from the friction-stir welding process. Although powder coating on top of conversion pre-treatments is practical for mitigating corrosion, the lap-shear adhesion of such surfaces can be negatively impacted when the adhesively bonded joints are exposed to a corrosion environment. Anodized surfaces are better in terms of their ability to retain adhesion strength, but their resistance to galvanic corrosion is an issue. Development of galvanically compatible coatings for steel rivets will benefit the adaptation of riveting as a joining technology for magnesium.

Recrystallization in AZ31 Magnesium Alloy during Hot Deformation

In this study, isothermal torsion tests were carried out on magnesium AZ31B alloy under constant strain rate conditions, in the range of 250 to 400oC at 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 s-1. Alloy flow stress dependence on strain rate and temperature can be described by a power law with activation energy of 130 kJ/mol. Microstructural examination of hot deformed samples shows very fine recrystallized grains decorating grain boundaries of larger gains in the form of a necklace. These fine grains are produced by dynamic recrystallization at the grain boundaries of original grains. Microstructure evolution, based on samples quenched at different strain levels, indicates that increasing deformation strain has little effect on recrystallized grain size but widens the recrystallized region, with full recrystallization achieved at a certain high strain level. Recrystallized grain size increases with increasing deformation temperature and strain rate. The latter suggests recrystallization in AZ31 to be essentially a time dependant phenomenon.