Effect Of Electropulsing-differential Speed Rolling On Mechanical Properties And Microstructure Of Magnesium Alloy

Electropulsing-differential speed rolling (EDSR), a facile technique that combineselectropulsing technology with differential speed rolling (DSR), was used tomanufacture AZ31Mg alloy strips in the present study. By comparing the impact offour different rolling methods, including conventional electropulsing rolling (CER),conventional cold rolling, DSR and EDSR of AZ31magnesium alloy mechanicalproperties and microstructure as well as rolling pressure to study the impact of theintroduction of high-energy electrical impulses as well as asynchronous rolling thesetwo factors during single pass rolling. For comparison, the effects of both EDSR and theconventional electropulsing rolling (CER) process on the microstructure, texture andmechanical properties of AZ31Mg alloy were studied.The relevant results indicate that:(1) EDSR was a feasible and effective rollingprocess to improve the plasticity of AZ31magnesium alloy after rolling. The EDSRtechnique can be used to manufacture thin strips of AZ31Mg alloy without annealingdue to the improvement in ductility it offers. Compared with a CER-processed sample,an EDSR-processed one has a more homogeneous grain size and higher fractureelongation, possibly because of the reduction of the basal texture intensity during EDSR.Hence, EDSR may expand the advantages of DSR with the assistance of the thermaland athermal effects of electropulsing technology.(2) The contraction of microstructureof sample rolled by CER and cold rolling shows that there are more twins in cold rolledsample, this indicates that the introduction of high-energy electric pulses can enhancethe slip of dislocation to facilitate conduct of slip.(3) The resistance to deformationdrops significantly and that the annealing process can be completely canceled byintroducing electropulsing into the rolling process.(4) The EDSR process makes fulluse of the advantages of electropulsing and differential speed rolling and is suggested tobe effective in enhancing the ductility of AZ31Mg alloy at low temperature.EDSR-processed sheet exhibited lower yield stress, larger elongation to failure and finergrain size compared with those of a CER-processed sheet.