The impact of melt-conditioned twin-roll casting on the downstream processing of an AZ31 magnesium alloy

Abstract

Melt conditioning by intensive shear was used prior to twin-roll casting of AZ31 magnesium alloy strip to promote heterogeneous nucleation and to provide a refined and uniform microstructure without severe macrosegregation. The cast strip was then processed by homogenization, hot rolling, and annealing, and its downstream processing was compared with a similar cast strip produced without melt conditioning. Melt conditioning produced strip with accelerated kinetics of recrystallization during homogenization and improved performance in hot rolling and improved tensile properties. An average tensile elongation of ~28 pct was achieved, which is substantially higher than the ~9 pct obtained for the strip produced without melt conditioning which is consistent with reported values (~6 pct to 16 pct). The as-cast, homogenized, and hot-rolled microstructures of the strip were characterized. The kinetics of homogenization and hot-rolling process have been discussed in detail.