EFFECT OF HOT FORGING ON MECHANICAL PROPERTY OF MAGNESIUM ALLOY(AZ31) FOR AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATION

The present work is investigated to desire properties for connecting rod which is use in automobile industry. AZ31 alloy was processed by hot forging at different 300 0C temperatures. Then the relationship between tensile properties and microstructural parameters including grain size were investigated by using tensile test along perpendiculars to forging direction. After hot forging, the grain structure of the AZ31 alloy ring is significantly refined. Microstructure evolution of the specimen during the Forging process was investigated and correlated with the mechanical properties. Upon Forging, the material undergoes pronounced grain refinement but an inhomogeneous grain structure is formed due to the inhomogeneous strain distribution between the center and edge regions. Tensile tests show a significant improvement of mechanical properties after forging.. Among the experimental forging temperatures, 350 °C is favored to get more uniform mechanical properties across the specimen. Significant mechanical anisotropy is found for the sample and attributed to varied deformation mechanisms along different directions. Effects of grain size and texture on mechanical behavior are discussed.