Mechanical behavior and wear characteristics of fine grained ZE41 magnesium alloy

AbstractZE41 magnesium alloy was successfully produced by friction stir processing and grain refinement was achieved from a starting size of 107 μm±6.7 μm to 3.5 μm±1.5 μm. MgZn intermetallic which was appeared as network like structure at the grain boundaries before friction stir processing was greatly affected due to the severe plastic deformation and broken as small particles as observed from the microstructural studies. Higher hardness (≈30 %) was measured for the fine grained ZE41 magnesium alloy compared with the base alloy due to the grain refinement. From the tensile tests, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength was significantly increased at the cost of decreased ductility reflected in lower strain for the fine grained ZE41 compared with the base alloy. Wear studies showed higher coefficient of friction and lower mass loss for the grain refined ZE41 magnesium alloy. From the results, it can be understood that the grain refinement achieved by friction stir processing has a profound influence on enhancing the mechanical and tribological properties of ZE41 magnesium alloy.