Microstructural Feature of Discontinuous Precipitates Formed by Furnace Cooling in AZ91 Magnesium Alloy

The purpose of this study was to investigate the microstructural characteristics and hardness distribution of AZ91 magnesium alloy furnace-cooled to room temperature after solution treatment, and to compare the results with those of as-cast condition. The as-cast alloy showed a partially divorced eutectic ${\beta}(Mg_{17}Al_{12})$ phase and discontinuous precipitates (DPs) with a lamellar morphology, while only DPs were observed in the furnace-cooled alloy. The DPs in the furnace-cooled AZ91 alloy had various apparent interlamellar spacings, which would be ascribed to the different transformation temperatures during the furnace cooling. The average hardness for the furnace-cooled alloy is similar to that for the as-cast alloy. It is interesting to note that the hardness values of the furnace-cooled alloy were distributed over a narrower range than those of the as-cast alloy. This is likely to be caused by the relatively more homogeneous microstructure of the furnace-cooled alloy in comparison with the ascast one.

AZ91 마그네슘 합금에서 노냉으로 생성된 불연속 석출물의 미세조직 특징