Multi-scale Investigation on Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Deformation Mechanisms in Mg Alloys PDF Download

Author: Dalong Zhang
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781369201123
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :

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Book Description
Mg and its alloys are promising candidates for light-weight structural applications, e.g., aircraft, automobile, electronic, etc. However, the inherent hexagonal close packed crystal structure makes the deformation of Mg anisotropic, namely deformation only occurs predominantly by dislocation slip in the close-packed (0001) plane (i.e., basal plane), or by deformation twinning in {101̄2} planes. Both basal slip and twinning cause the crystal to re-orient. Consequently, polycrystalline Mg alloys that have undergone thermomechanical processing usually contain strong texture, i.e., preferred crystallographic orientation in grains. The texture in turn leads to anisotropic deformation in wrought Mg alloys. For example, in extruded Mg alloys, the compressive yield strength is usually much lower than the tensile yield strength (so-called yield asymmetry and strength differential). It is the anisotropy that hinders the broader application of Mg alloys. Recent modeling studies on Mg predict that certain alloying elements, particularly rare-earth elements (e.g., Y, Ce, Nd, Gd, etc.), could alter the active deformation modes and enhance homogeneous deformation and overall mechanical properties in Mg. Therefore, the objective of this dissertation research is to investigate experimentally the effects of alloying element Y in reducing the intrinsic and extrinsic anisotropy, modifying texture, and enhancing the overall strength and ductility for Mg. In addition, the research also uncovered some unexpected "side effects" of Y and these phenomena were studied and explained from a fundamental perspective. The methodology used in this work is described as follows. Ultrafine grained Mg 2.5 at.% Y alloy (UFG Mg-2.5Y) was prepared by powder metallurgy method, including gas atomization for producing Mg-2.5Y powder, degassing and hot isostatic pressing (HIP), and hot extrusion. Both the as-HIPed and the as-extruded materials were characterized by electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and/or atom probe tomography (APT). It is noted that different configurations of stacking faults (all in basal plane, i.e., basal stacking faults, BSFs for short) were observed in the as-extruded Mg-2.5Y, whereas no BSFs were documented in the as-HIPed alloy. Feasible models to explain the formation of BSFs were proposed based on the activity of different dislocations. Tension and compression tests were carried out along the extrusion direction (ED) for UFG Mg-2.5Y. Unlike common Mg alloys exhibiting yield asymmetry, the UFG Mg-2.5Y exhibits yield "symmetry" and significantly reduced strength differential. Namely, the deformation is more isotropic. In addition to post-mortem TEM characterization for deformed UFG Mg-2.5Y, in-situ TEM was also performed, in an effort to understand the fundamental deformation mechanisms in UFG Mg-Y that lead to reduced anisotropy. In-situ TEM for single-crystal Mg-Y nano-pillars reveals that deformation twinning is replaced by dislocation slip in non-basal planes (i.e., prismatic planes), which diametrically differs from any other Mg alloys. However, it is noted that deformation twinning still occurs in the polycrystalline UFG Mg-2.5Y occasionally, and a new type of stacking faults (i.e., prismatic stacking faults, PSFs for short) may be present in the vicinity of twins. Feasible mechanisms explaining the formation of PSFs are proposed.