Investigation on the Mechanical Properties of Mg-Al Alloys (AZ41 and AZ51) and Its Composites

In the present study, AZ41 and AZ51 alloys were fabricated using disintegrated melt deposition technique followed by hot extrusion. AZ41/Yttria and AZ51/Yttria composites were prepared using 0.6 wt% yttria nano particles in the alloys using the same fabrication technique. From the tensile test results, both strengths (yield and tensile) and ductility were improved in AZ51 when compared to AZ41. In comparison with its alloy counterparts, the yield and tensile strengths were enhanced while maintaining the same ductility in AZ41/Yttria composite, but comparable strengths with decreased ductility were observed in AZ51/Yttria composite. Under compressive loading, an improvement in strengths with similar ductility was observed in AZ51 when compared to AZ41. The best combination of strengths and ductility was observed in AZ51/Yttria composites from compression test results. The obtained mechanical properties are correlated with the microstructure observations.