An Efficient Route to Magnesium Alloy Sheet: Twin Roll Casting and Hot Rolling

摘要

In the last decade a significant market pull, especially from the automotive industry, has been observed for magnesium alloy sheet. Two main production routes for this material are currently under worldwide discussion; specifically, the classical route via DC casting plus hot rolling is competing with continuous casting techniques. A particularly flexible route for producing magnesium alloy sheet is provided by twin roll casting, followed by a hot rolling plus annealing sequence to the final gauge and temper. Early results and evaluations from trials with semiscale twin roll cast and hot rolled AZ31B are presented. Microstructures of as cast strip, as well as intermediate gauges and final thickness sheet, are discussed and related to production parameters such as casting speed and hot rolling process schemes. The promising mechanical properties which have been achieved are compared to those generated by a more conventional route and are discussed in terms of microstructural features, e.g., grain size and texture.