Strain-Rate and Temperature Dependences of Deformation Behavior of AZ61Mg Alloy Processed by Multi-directional Forging Under Decreasing Temperature Conditions

Strain-rate and temperature dependences of deformation behavior of ultrafine-grained (UFGed) AZ61Mg alloy were examined. For this purpose, AZ61Mg alloy specimens were subjected to multi-directional forging (MDFing) under decreasing temperature conditions to have various grain sizes. The average grain sizes attained by MDFing to 1, 3, 6 and 9 passes were approximately 8, 2, 0.5 and 0.3 μm, respectively. A superior balance of the mechanical properties of strength and ductility at room temperature was achieved by MDFing to three passes and over. The strain-rate sensitivity of mechanical properties of the MDFed specimens increased with decreasing grain size. The specimens with grain sizes of 0.5 and 0.3 μm (0.5 or 0.3 specimen) exhibited stronger strain-rate and temperature dependences of total elongation than those with grain sizes of 8 and 2 μm (8 or 2 specimen). This can be partially ascribed to grain-boundary sliding, since an AFM observation revealed the occurrence of room-temperature grain-boundary sliding in the 0.3 specimen. The activation volume V* for the 8, 2 and 0.5 specimen increased with increasing temperature, while the 0.3 specimen exhibited an inverse temperature dependence of V*. This suggests a change in deformation mechanism with decreasing grain size as well as the occurrence of grain-boundary sliding.