Grain refinement in an as-cast AZ61 magnesium alloy processed by multi-axial forging under the multitemperature processing procedure

A multitemperature multi-axial forging (MAF) procedure has been developed to produce a fine-grained AZ61 alloy. The results show that the microstructure can be effectively refined with increasing equivalent strain during MAF. Once dynamic recrystallisation is completed, the alloy is in a steady state and further deformation of the alloy cannot change the grain size. The multitemperature MAF procedure can produce a fine-grained AZ61 alloy giving a grain size of 8 μm. This fine-grained alloy has an excellent strength accompanied by reasonable good tensile ductility. The success of the development of this multitemperature MAF procedure proves that MAF can offer a good opportunity for the development of magnesium alloys with good mechanical properties.