Effect of submicron size Al2O3 particulates on microstructural and tensile properties of elemental Mg

In the present study, elemental and 0.3 μm size Al2O3 particulates-reinforced magnesium materials were synthesized using disintegrated melt deposition technique followed by hot extrusion. Microstructural characterization of the composite samples showed fairly uniform reinforcement distribution with good reinforcement–matrix interfacial integrity, significant grain refinement and the presence of minimal porosity. Tensile properties characterization revealed that the presence of submicron-Al2O3 reinforcement led to significant improvement in 0.2%YS, and UTS. However, ductility and work of fracture of the composites remain higher with the addition of submicron-Al2O3 particulates up to 1.1 vol%. The results further revealed that the combination of 0.2% yield strength and UTS exhibited by 0.3 μm size Al2O3 reinforced magnesium remained much superior even when compared to magnesium reinforced with nano-size Al2O3 and micron size SiC. An attempt is made in the present study to correlate the effect of submicron-Al2O3 as reinforcement and its increasing amount with the microstructural and tensile properties of magnesium.