EFFECT OF NANO-ALUMINA AND COPPER MICRON SIZE PARTICULATES ON MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF MAGNESIUM ALLOY AZ31

摘要

In this paper, magnesium composites are synthesised through theaddition of nano-alumina and copper micron size particulates inAZ31 magnesium alloy using the technique of disintegrated meltdeposition. The simultaneous addition of Cu and nano-aluminaparticulates led to an overall improvement in both microstructuralcharacteristics and mechanical response of AZ31. The 0.2% yieldstrength increased from 180 to 300 MPa (67%), while the ductilityincreased by almost 24%. The overall tensile properties assessedin terms of work of fracture improved by 66%. An attempt ismade to correlate the tensile response of composites with theirmicrostructural characteristics. The results suggest that these alloycomposites have significant potential in diverse and widerengineering applications when compared to AZ31 alloy.