Hot Tensile Deformation Characteristics and Processing Map of Extruded AZ80 Mg Alloys

The hot deformation behaviors of extruded AZ80 Mg alloys were investigated using tension tests. True stress-true strain curves were obtained for deformation at temperatures from 250 to 450 °C with the strain rate range from 0.001 to 0.08 s⁻¹. Optical microscopy analysis was performed to correlate microstructural changes to the flow behaviors. Based on the flow stress, the processing map at a strain of 0.18 was developed using the dynamic materials model theory and can be divided into three zones, including stability zones, change-over region, and instability zones. In stability zones, there are two dynamic recrystallization regions: one region with a peak efficiency of 58% at 350 °C and a strain rate of 0.001 s⁻¹ called domain I; another region with a peak efficiency of 58% at 400 °C and a strain rate of 0.01 s⁻¹ taken as domain II. The apparent activation energy for domain I was estimated to be 100.71 kJ/mol, indicating that short-circuit diffusion process is along the grain boundaries and falls at lower temperatures and lower strain rates. A lattice self-diffusion is considered to be rate controlling mechanism with the apparent activation energy estimated as 140.32 kJ/mol at higher temperatures and higher strain rates in domain II. The change-over region is the zone from domain I to domain II, in which the grains abnormally grow. In instability zones, twins, local deformation band, wedge cracking, and matrix cracking were observed, suggesting that these processing parameters for hot tension in this zone are inapplicable.