Severe Plastic Deformation of Nanocrystalline AZ61 Magnesium Alloy Composites Prepared by Spark Plasma Sintering Technique

Abstract

This study examines the mechanical and microstructural characteristics of magnesium nanocrystalline (nc) AZ61 alloy, which is produced using the SPS and mechanical milling processes. The results are presented and discussed. Using optical microscopy, it has been shown that the powders underwent twining, and after eight hours of milling, the subgrain boundaries developed, defining the grains with a nanometer size of 60 nm. The AZ61 alloy was sintered by spark plasma sintering at temperatures between 4650 to 5650 degrees Celsius. It has been noted that the grains in pure magnesium magnesium AZ61 alloys are uniformly dispersed, have few pores, and have particle boundaries throughout the SPS process. The mechanical parameters of the AZ61 alloy, namely hardness, compressive strength, and corrosion resistance, increase with increasing sintering temperature by approximately 725MPa, 298 MPa, and 0.18 mm.y-1.