Effect on microstructure and properties of LA103Z Mg–Li alloy plate by multi-pass friction stir processing

Abstract

As the lightest metal structure material, Mg–Li alloy possesses many advantages and promising applications, but the low strength at room temperature limits its application. Multi-pass friction stir processing (MFSP) is expected to be an effective and simple method to overcome this shortcoming. In this study, the plate of LA103Z Mg–Li alloy was treated using MFSP. The mechanical properties, microstructure, and corrosion resistance of the plate before and after MFSP were compared. It was found that MFSP can effectively improve the mechanical properties of the plate, and the tensile strength and microhardness have been enhanced. Meanwhile, the plasticity of the material was also significantly improved, and the elongation increased by up to 109.2%. Furthermore, the corrosion resistance of the plate after MFSP was also increased.

Keywords

• Magnesium-lithium
• Friction stir processing
• Magnesium alloy
• Multi-pass processing
• Grain refinement