Structural reinforcement of Mg-based alloy
J. Bonarski, P. Drzymała, B. Kania
Institute of Metallurgy and Materials Science of the Polish Academy of Sciences
25 Reymonta Str., Krakow, POLAND
Abstract
One of the most important properties of Mg-based alloys as the lightest structural
materials is its formability at room temperature. Various technologies of reinforcing and
plastic deformation of the alloys are introduced to improve the property, however a
compromise between its strength and ductility is still not satisfying. The paper presents a new
approach of structural reinforcement the Mg-AZ31 alloy which makes it more useful in the
construction of machinery and equipment, especially in aircraft and automotive industry,
where the weight reduction is a priority. Specific material investigations by X-ray and
SEM/EBSD techniques were performed for a defined structural element made of the MgAZ31. Besides of the identified evolution of crystallographic texture, anisotropy of the
material hardness complements characteristics of the microstructure development. The
obtained results of mechanical tests and microstructural characteristics document the effects
of applied thermo-mechanical treatment. Moreover, a new software solutions useful in the
local texture analysis by will be presented.
Keywords: magnesium alloy, plastic deformation, crystallographic texture, anisotropy of
hardness