Improving the mechanical properties of pure magnesium by three-roll planetary milling

In this study three-roll planetary milling was used to trial its potential for enhancing the mechanical properties of pure magnesium. The material was subjected to several passes of planetary milling at progressively decreased temperatures, down to room temperature for the last pass. It was shown that with increased number of passes the grain size was reduced, eventually to the micron range. Concurrently, the microstructure became increasingly more uniform across the billet. After six passes pure magnesium showed an excellent combination of tensile properties at room temperature, with a yield stress of 116 MPa and a strain to failure of 13%.