Improvement of Mechanical Properties in Light Weight Mg-based Materials

Some of the important mechanical properties, mainly strength and ductility of magnesium- based structural material can be improved by alloying element; grain size refinement of the alloy and reinforced with nano-particles. Each processing techniques have their own mechanism of strengthening and fracture. In this study, bulk monolithic Mg material and their alloy and composite were synthesised by powder metallurgy technique. The process involved consolidation of powders through iso-static compression followed by sintering and hot extrusion. The microstructural studies were conducted on the extruded sample through XRD test and microscopic observation. In order to measure the strength and ductility, the tensile tests for all the samples were carried out at room temperature. Significant improvement in strength and ductility are observed in the samples of alloys and composite when compared with the sample of pure Mg. Further improvement can also be seen in the refined grain size sample. The possible strengthening mechanisms for each case are discussed. It is speculated that the deformation mechanism in all the cases are controlled mainly by the mechanism of grain boundary movements. The fracture surfaces were examined to identify the possible fracture mode of the samples.