Microstructure, texture and mechanical behavior characterization of hot forged cast ZK60 magnesium alloy

Abstract

Uniaxial tension and compression tests were conducted to investigate the quasi-static performance of ZK60 Mg alloy in cast, followed by forging at optimum temperature of 450 ºC and a ram speed of 39 mm min -1 condition. Microstructure and texture analysis showed that the as-cast alloy exhibited a dendritic structure with casting porosity and random texture. In contrast, the forged alloy exhibited a refined grain structure with a significant reduction in casting porosity, while the texture changed to sharp basal texture. Measured mechanical properties of the forged alloy showed that the strength did not change, however, the ductility improved by 75%.The analysis of the fracture surface of the forged alloy under tension revealed a ductile fractureThe final publication is available at Elsevier via http://dx.

Fatigue life improvement of cast ZK60 Mg alloy through low temperature closed-die forging for automotive applications

“…Figure 1(b). Details about the geometry of the samples and the location of samples in the cast billet could be found in [11]. Quasi-static tests were carried out at the displacement rate of 1 mm/min.…”

“…The procedure for the microstructure analysis and texture measurement was the same as the one presented in [11]. Hardness testing was performed using a United TrueBlue Rockwell tester.…”

“…The microstructure and texture of the as-cast ZK60 have already been detailed in [11]. The cast alloy exhibited an average grain size of 131±26 µm.…”

“…In contrast, the ductility of the alloy was decreased from 15% to 9%. The average mechanical properties of as-cast, open-die forged [11], and closed-die forged ZK60 Mg alloy is summarized in Figure 6. In this graph, YS and FS represent yield strength and fracture strain, respectively.…”

“…The monotonic and cyclic behaviour of different open dieand semi-closed die forged Mg alloys have been investigated so far [11]- [19]. The forging temperature at these studies were quite high, i.e.,~450 °C.…”