Analysis of flow stress and deformation mechanism under hot working of ZK60 magnesium alloy by a new strain-dependent constitutive equation

The present study investigates the variation of flow stress and microstructural evolution with strain for ZK60 magnesium alloy. A new constitutive equation was used to model the flow stress with excellent results. This constitutive analysis and the microstructural studies carried out on strained samples revealed the existence of two different regimes. At temperatures above 300 °C, moderate grain growth and intragranular dislocation activity. Yet, the calculated value of the activation energy and the marked increase in the equivalent strain to fracture indicated grain boundary sliding as a dominant mechanism in this regime of strain rate and temperature, with dislocation motion playing an ancillary role. At lower temperatures, deformation was exclusively governed by dislocation motion, with the extensive occurrence of dynamic recrystallization, which started at low strains, and absence of grain growth.