Recycling of AZ91 Mg alloy through consolidation of machined chips by extrusion and ECAP

AZ91 Mg alloy recycled by a solid state process and equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) exhibited a superior strength. The mechanical properties of AZ91 Mg alloy recycled from machined chips by extrusion at 623 K and ECAP at 573 K and 623 K were compared with those of the reference alloy which was produced from an as-received AZ91 Mg alloy block under the same conditions as the recycled alloy. The recycled specimens show a higher strength at room temperature than the reference alloy. The improvement of the tensile properties is attributed not only to the small grain size, but also to the dispersed oxide contaminants.