Enhancing tensile/compressive response of magnesium alloy AZ31 by integrating with Al2O3 nanoparticles

AZ31 nanocomposite containing Al2O3 nanoparticle reinforcement was fabricated using solidification processing followed by hot extrusion. The Al2O3 nanoparticle reinforcement was isolated prior to melting by wrapping in Al foil of minimal weight (<0.50 wt% with respect to AZ31 matrix weight). The AZ31 nanocomposite exhibited slightly smaller grain and intermetallic particle sizes than monolithic AZ31, reasonable Al2O3 nanoparticle distribution, non-dominant (0 0 0 2) texture in the longitudinal direction unlike monolithic AZ31, and 30% higher hardness than monolithic AZ31. Compared to monolithic AZ31, the AZ31 nanocomposite exhibited higher 0.2%TYS, UTS, failure strain and work of fracture (WOF) (+19%, +21%, +113% and +162%, respectively). Also, compared to monolithic AZ31, the AZ31 nanocomposite exhibited higher 0.2%CYS and UCS, similar failure strain, and higher WOF (+5%, +5%, −4% and +11%, respectively). Inclusive of crystallographic texture changes, the effect of Al2O3 nanoparticle integration on the enhancement of tensile and compressive properties of AZ31 is investigated in this paper.