In-Situ Scanning Electron Microscopy Comparison of Microstructure and Deformation Between WE43-F and WE43-T5 Magnesium Alloys

In-situ tensile testing in the scanning electron microscope was used to investigate the quasi-static deformation behavior and fracture mechanism of WE43 magnesium alloys. The in-situ tensile experiments were conducted at room temperature at a constant crosshead speed of 0.5 mm / min. One set of samples was a rolled and quenched F temper alloy and the other set was an artificially aged T5 temper alloy. The objective of this research was to determine the effect of tempering on precipitates chemistries, microstructure, and mechanical properties. The sample orientation is known to affect the tensile properties. Hence tensile specimens with different sample orientation were tested. The crystallographic orientations were characterized by electron backscattered diffraction. Strong textures were observed with rolling plane crystals indicating a basal plane orientation.