High temperature formability of graphene nanoplatelets-AZ31 composites fabricated by stir-casting method

Outstanding mechanical properties of graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) make them ideal reinforcement for mass production of composites. In this research, the composites were fabricated by stir-casting method. GNPs were added in 1.5 and 3.0 wt.% into Mg-3wt.% Al-1wt.% Zn (AZ31) magnesium alloy. As cast ingots were preheated for one hour and extruded at 350 °C with extrusion ratio of 5.2:1. As extruded AZ31-GNPs composites were micro-structurally characterized with X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Vickers micro-hardness of synthesized materials was investigated both in parallel and perpendicular to extrusion directions. Room temperature mechanical testing revealed that with increasing GNP's content, tensile fracture strain was remarkably increased without significant compromise in tensile strength. Furthermore, as extruded AZ31-3GNPs composites were subjected to tensile testing at temperatures ranging from 75 °C to 300 °C with initial strain rate of 2 × 10−3 s−1 to evaluate high temperature formability of composite. It was found that like CNTs, GNPs also have the potential to sustain tensile strength at high temperatures.