Kink-band formation in the directionally-solidified Mg/LPSO two-phase alloys.

The variation in the mechanical properties with the volume fraction of the long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phase in directionally solidified (DS) Mg/LPSO two-phase alloys was examined. Unexpectedly, the yield stress of the DS alloys increases non-monotonically with an increase in the volume fraction of the LPSO phase. The LPSO phase is considered an effective strengthening phase in Mg alloys, when the stress is applied parallel to the growth direction. Nevertheless, the highest strength was obtained in alloys with 61-86 vol.% of the LPSO phase, which was considerably higher than that in the LPSO single-phase alloy. It was clarified that this complicated variation in the yield stress was generated from the change in the formation stress of kink bands, which varied with the thickness of the LPSO-phase grains. Furthermore, the coexistence of Mg in the LPSO phase alloy induced the homogeneous formation of kink bands in the alloys, leading to the enhancement of the 'kink-band strengthening'. The results demonstrated that microstructural control is significantly important in Mg/LPSO two-phase alloys, in which both phases exhibit strong plastic anisotropy, to realize the maximum mechanical properties.

Revealing the Microstructural Aspects of the Corrosion Dynamics in Rapidly Solidified Mg-Zn-Y Alloys Using the Acoustic Emission Technique.

This work was focused on revealing the relation between the microstructure and corrosion dynamics in dilute Mg97.94Zn0.56Y1.5 (at.%) alloys prepared by the consolidation of rapidly solidified (RS) ribbons. The dynamics of the corrosion were followed by common electrochemical methods and the acoustic emission (AE) technique. AE monitoring offers instantaneous feedback on changes in the dynamics and mode of the corrosion. In contrast, the electrochemical measurements were performed on the specimens, which had already been immersed in the solution for a pre-defined time. Thus, some short-term corrosion processes could remain undiscovered. Obtained results were completed by scanning electron microscopy, including analysis of a cross-section of the corrosion layer. It was shown that the internal strain distribution, the grain morphology, and the distribution of the secondary phases play a significant role in the corrosion. The alloys are characterized by a complex microstructure with elongated worked and dynamically recrystallized α-Mg grains with an average grain size of 900 nm. Moreover, the Zn- and Y-rich stacking faults (SFs) were dispersed in the grain interior. In the alloy consolidated at a lower extrusion speed, the homogeneous internal strain distribution led to uniform corrosion with a rate of 2 mm/year and a low hydrogen release. The consolidation at a higher extrusion speed resulted in the formation of uneven distribution of internal strains with remaining high strain levels in non-recrystallized grains, leading to inhomogeneous growth and breakdown of the corrosion layers. Therefore, homogeneity of the internal strain distribution is of key importance for the uniform formation of a protective layer.

Nanoclusters first: a hierarchical phase transformation in a novel Mg alloy.

The Mg-Y-Zn ternary alloy system contains a series of novel structures known as long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) structures. The formation process and its key concept from a viewpoint of phase transition are not yet clear. The current study reveals that the phase transformation process is not a traditional spinodal decomposition or structural transformation but, rather a novel hierarchical phase transformation. In this transformation, clustering occurs first, and the spatial rearrangement of the clusters induce a secondary phase transformation that eventually lead to two-dimensional ordering of the clusters. The formation process was examined using in situ synchrotron radiation small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS). Rapid quenching from liquid alloy into thin ribbons yielded strongly supersaturated amorphous samples. The samples were heated at a constant rate of 10 K/min. and the scattering patterns were acquired. The SAXS analysis indicated that small clusters grew to sizes of 0.2 nm after they crystallized. The clusters distributed randomly in space grew and eventually transformed into a microstructure with two well-defined cluster-cluster distances, one for the segregation periodicity of LPSO and the other for the in-plane ordering in segregated layer. This transformation into the LPSO structure concomitantly introduces the periodical stacking fault required for the 18R structures.