Effects of Adding Zinc and Calcium Solute on Mechanical Properties in Magnesium Fine Wires

Drawing is suitable for manufacturing fine metal wire. This study was designed to clarify the effects of additive elements, calcium or zinc, on mechanical properties of drawn magnesium wires. Binary alloys of Mg-0.3 at. % Ca and Mg-0.1 at. % Zn were cast followed by extrusion. The extrusion bars were drawn to fabricate a fine wire with a diameter of 0.2 mm. Tensile tests were conducted for the wires. The results of the tensile tests confirmed that yield stress increased as the content of the solute element increased, while the work hardening rate and tensile ductility differed depending on the types of additive element. Inspection of the drawn microstructure revealed that the additive element plays an important role in microstructure evolution in magnesium.