Effects of the process parameters on the formability of the intermetallic zone in two-layer Mg/Al materials

This paper discusses experimental results concerning the plastic deformation of the bonding zone in a two-layer AZ31/Al material subjected to compression loads. The specimens were fabricated by diffusion bonding method. The 50 μm thick transition zone at the AZ31/Al interface contained Mg-Al intermetallic phases. The physical modelling of the deformation behaviour of the intermetallic zone was performed using a Gleeble 3800 system. The compression tests were carried out at two temperatures (300 and 400 °C), two strain rates (0.1 and 1.0 s−1) and a true strain of 0.15 applied in one or two stages. The metallographic examinations and microhardness measurements were performed to assess the influence of the selected process parameters on the forming behaviour of the intermetallic zone. The experiments revealed that the main factors affecting the formability of the intermetallic zone in the two-layer AZ31/Al material were the strain rate and the temperature. It was found that when the deformation occurred at a strain rate of 0.1 s−1 and a temperature of 400 °C, there was no loss of continuity of the intermetallic transition zone; such conditions induced its plasticization.