Effect of nanoscale boron carbide particle addition on the microstructural evolution and mechanical response of pure magnesium

•Mg composites containing nano-B4C particulates have been successfully synthesized.•EBSD studies showed grain refinement and texture change due to nano-B4C addition.•Nano-B4C addition to pure Mg improved the tensile properties, particularly ductility.•Mg–1.04B4C nanocomposite showed ∼180% increase in ductility over pure Mg.

In this study, the effect of nano-B4C addition on the microstructural and the mechanical behavior of pure Mg are investigated. Pure Mg-metal reinforced with different amounts of nano-size B4C particulates were synthesized using the disintegrated melt deposition technique followed by hot extrusion. Microstructural characterization of the developed Mg/x-B4C composites revealed uniform distribution of nano-B4C particulates and significant grain refinement. Electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) analyses showed presence of relatively more recrystallized grains and absence of fiber texture in Mg/B4C nanocomposites when compared to pure Mg. The evaluation of mechanical properties indicated a significant improvement in tensile properties of the composites. The significant improvement in tensile ductility (∼180% increase with respect to pure Mg) is among the highest observed when compared to the pure Mg based nanocomposites existing in the current literature. The superior mechanical properties of the Mg/B4C nanocomposites are attributed to the uniform distribution of the nanoparticles and the tendency for texture randomization (absence of fiber texture) achieved due to the nano-B4C addition.