Grain Refinement of Mg-5wt%Zn Alloy by Rapid Solidification Process

In spite of the fact that magnesium has low density and good machinability, its applications are restricted as a structural engineering material because of the poor strength, ductility, and corrosion resistance of the conventional ingot metallurgy alloys. Such properties can be improved by microstructural refinement via rapid solidification processing. In this study, Mg-5wt%Zn alloys have been produced as continuous strips by the melt overflow technique. In order to evaluate the influence of the cooling rate on the grain refinement and mechanical properties, seven different thickness strips were produced by means of controlling the speed of the cooling wheel. Then the microstructual observations were undertaken with the objective of evaluating the grain refinement as function of the cooling rate. The tremendous increase in hardness of Mg-Zn alloy was mainly due to the refinement of the grain structure by the effect of rapid solidification. The formation of intermetallic phases on the grain boundaries may have a positive effect on the corroion resistance. Therefore, despite competition from many other developments, the rapid solidification process emerges as a valuable method to develop superior and commercially acceptable magnesium alloys.