Microstructural and mechanical characteristics of AZ61 magnesium alloy processed by high-pressure torsion

Experiments were conducted on an AZ61 magnesium alloy to evaluate the microstructural characteristics and the mechanical properties after processing by High-Pressure Torsion (HPT). The results show that processing by HPT produces excellent grain refinement with average grain sizes of ∼0.22 and ∼0.11 urn after processing at 423 K and room temperature, respectively. Tensile testing after HPT revealed the potential for achieving superplastic elongations with a maximum recorded elongation of 620% when testing at a temperature of 473 K. Using microhardness measurements, it is demonstrated that the the microstructure gradually evolves with increasing torsional straining in HPT so that ultimately there is a reasonably homogeneous structure across the disk.