Verification of optimum temperature on tensile ductility improvement of friction stir processed AZ31 at warm temperature range up to 300°C

AZ31 Mg alloy in a friction stir processed condition was deformed in tension at temperatures ranging from room temperature to 300°C in comparison with the same alloy in an extruded condition. It was found that friction stir processed AZ31 possesses excellent ductility at a comparatively low thermal exposure temperature (100°C) and a significant difference of strain hardening behavior compared with as extruded one. These results show that the formability of friction stir processed specimens is better than that of as extruded samples due to the differences in texture and microstructural features. In order to confirm these findings, the present study conducted tensile tests from room temperature to 300°C and verified the improvement in ductility. The effect of exposure temperature on formability will be discussed as well.