• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
• /
• 2006.05a
• /
• pp.59-62
• /
• 2006

Mg alloys have drawn a huge attention in the field of transportation and consumer electronics industries since it is the lightest alloy which could be industrially applicable. Most Mg alloy components have been fabricated by casting method. However, there have been a lot of research activities on the wrought alloys and their plastic forming process recently. The deformation behavior of an AZ31 Mg alloy at the elevated temperature was examined firstly to find out the optimum plastic forming range in terms of temperature and strain rate. During high temperature deformation, AZ31 alloy is usually undergone the dynamic recrystallization which influence the deformation behavior in turn. In the present study, the effect of deformation on dynamic recrystallization of an AZ31 alloy was investigated to clarify the relation between the deformation and recrystallization. In an AZ31 alloy system, the dynamic recrystallization was found to occur continuously. Recrystallized grain size was dependent on the stress level.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.70-75
• /
• 2012

This study is related to the laser weldability of AZ31B magnesium alloy, an all-purpose wrought alloy with good strength and ductility. In general, AZ31B is classified into AZ31B-H24 and AZ31B-O depending on temper designation. Thus, in this study, the laser weldability of AZ31B-H24 and AZ31B-O was investigated and compared. CW Nd:YAG laser was used to produce bead and butt joints. And the effects of welding conditions on the weldability of these joints were examined in detail. As a result of this study, AZ31B-H24 was found to have thinner oxide film and smaller grain size compared with AZ31B-O. Due to such difference, in bead welding, AZ31B-H24 had more wide welding range for full penetration compared with AZ31B-O. Furthermore, it was also confirmed that AZ31B-H24 and AZ31B-O have different welding conditions to obtain stable keyhole in butt welding.

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
• /
• 2007.11a
• /
• pp.328-331
• /
• 2007

It was carried out to evaluate microstructure and mechanical properties of friction stir welded(FSW) on magnesium alloys. Two types magnesium alloy was used in this work, AZ31 wrought and AZ91 cast magnesium alloy. Microstructure near the weld zone showed general weld structures such as stir zone(SZ), thermo-mechanically affected zone(TMAZ) and heat affected zone(HAZ). In the AZ91 alloy, the SZ had a fine grain size and $\beta$ phase particles which were well distributed in matrix. It was characterized to redistribute by partial or full re-solution of the $\beta$ phase which is coarse in base metal during FSW processing. The hardness of the SZ slightly increase than the base metal in AZ31 Mg alloy.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Technology of Plasticity Conference
• /
• 2006.06a
• /
• pp.99-102
• /
• 2006

In the present study, the blow forming characteristics of AZ31 sheet was investigated to test the feasibility of the practical application of wrought Mg alloys. Mg alloys have drawn a huge attention in the field of transportation and consumer electronics industries since it is the lightest alloy which could be industrially applicable. Most Mg alloy components have been fabricated by casting method. However, there have been a lot of research activities on the wrought alloys and their plastic forming process recently. Shallow cups for the small electronics cases have been stamped with warm die system. However, some technical issues will challenge Mg forming when large parts are considered with warm die system over $200^{\circ}C$. Most of all, thermal expansion of die system will deteriorate a die accuracy. On the other hand, blow forming does not have a problem with inaccuracy with die system. In this study, tensile tests were followed by blow forming at various temperature and pressure. AZ31 sheet showed a superplastic deformation behavior with extensive grain boundary sliding at the temperature above $300^{\circ}C$. However, the deformation behavior was likely to differ depending on stress condition.

• Journal of Advanced Marine Engineering and Technology
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.517-523
• /
• 2009

Magnesium alloys have many advantages such as a low density, high strength/weight ratio and well recycle. And joining process is absolutely necessary to expand the field of application of magnesium alloy. The main problems of conventional process such as arc welding for magnesium alloy are the inflammability, a tendency toward crack formation and the appearance of porosity during solidification. Laser welding technology is a promising means for overcoming these difficulties. This study is related to the laser weldability of AZ31 magnesium alloy, an all-purpose wrought alloy with good strength and ductility. The effect of welding conditions on the weldability of butt joints was examined. Also, the mechanical properties of butt welded joints were investigated by tensile test and hardness test.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
• /
• v.26 no.3
• /
• pp.113-119
• /
• 2013

Grain growth behaviors of hot-rolled AZ31 (Mg-3%Al-1%Zn) and AZ31-0.3%CaO alloys at elevated temperatures have been investigated in order to clarify the effect of CaO addition on grain stability of Mg-Al-based wrought alloy. The grain size of CaO-free alloy increased steeply from 673 K with an increase in annealing temperature from 573 to 773 K, whereas the grains of CaO-containing alloy were relatively stable up to 723 K. The activation energies for grain growth ($E_g$) were 12.2 and 18.3 kJ/mole between 573 and 673 K and 119.2 and 126.9 kJ/mole between 673 and 773 K in the AZ31 and AZ31-0.3%CaO alloys, respectively. This result indicates that grains in the CaO-added alloy possess higher thermal stability than CaO-free alloy. SEM observations on the annealed alloy samples revealed that higher grain stability resulting from CaO addition would be associated with the suppression of grain growth by Ca-related precipitate particles distributed in the microstructure.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Heat Treatment
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.299-304
• /
• 2004

Influence of Ca addition on microstructure and room temperature mechanical properties has been studied for AZ31(Mg-3%Al-1%Zn-0.2%Mn)-(0~0.5)%Ca wrought alloys, based on experimental results from metallography, X-ray diffractometry and mechanical tests. Yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and hardness of the alloys increased remarkably with increasing Ca content, whereas elongation was deteriorated continuously. Microstructural examination revealed that Ca addition efficiently refined grains of ${\alpha}$(Mg) phase and that some of the Ca dissolved in ${\beta}(Mg_{17}Al_{12})$ precipitates. The former and the latter facts are thought to be responsible for improved strength and loss of ductility of the AZ31+Ca wrought alloys, respectively.

• Journal of Korea Foundry Society
• /
• v.26 no.5
• /
• pp.211-216
• /
• 2006

The study for thixoextrusion process of 7075, 7003 Al wrought alloys and AZ31 Mg wrought alloy was carried out with respect to reheating rate, isothermal holding temperature and time with an emphasis to the effect of homogenization on thixotropic micro-structures during the partial remelting, especially in the low liquid fraction ($f_L<0.2$). The liquid fraction and average grain size with respect to reheating profile such as reheating rate, isothermal holding temperature and time were almost uniform. It is considered very useful for thixoextrusion in terms of process control such as billet temperature control and actual extrusion time. Micro-structural controls of 7075, 7003 Al wrought alloys and AZ31 Mg wrought alloy before and after homogenization were available and thixotropic microstructures were obtained in both specimens.

• Journal of Welding and Joining
• /
• v.22 no.5
• /
• pp.53-57
• /
• 2004

Friction stir weldability of AZ31B-H24, AZ61A-F and AZ91C-F Mg alloys were studied using microstructural observation and mechanical tests. The microstructure of stir zone(SZ) was coarse in AZ31B-H24 alloy whereas it was very fine both in AZ61A-F and AZ91C-F alloys. The hardness of SZ was remarkably increased by very fine recrystallized grains both in AZ61A-F and AZ91C-F alloys. On the other hand, the hardness of SZ was decreased in AZ31B-H24 due to the coarse microstructure. In SZ, AZ91C-F alloy showed very high hardness values because of dispersion hardening of $Mg_{17}$Al$_{12}$($\beta$ phase) and Al solid solution hardening. Because of more $Mg_{ 17}Al_{12}($\beta$ phase)$ intermetallic compounds, Mg alloy with high Al content showed poor mechanical properties.s.

• Laser Solutions
• /
• v.14 no.3
• /
• pp.12-16
• /
• 2011

In automotive industry, because of the consideration of fuel economy, lightweight alloys have been adopted and are expected to be extensively used in the future. Magnesium alloys are among the promising materials, due to their lightweight and good mechanical properties. This study is related to the laser weldability of AZ31B magnesium alloy, an all-purpose wrought alloy with good strength and ductility. A 4kW Nd:YAG laser was used to join AZ31B sheet, and the effects of welding parameter on the quality of lap-welded joints were investigated. As a result of this study, the optimal condition was obtained, and the effect of gap distance was also revealed on the porosity control.