Evaluating the room temperature mechanical properties of age hardened AZ80 magnesium alloy using shear punch testing method

The shear punch testing method was employed to evaluate the room temperature mechanical properties of an AZ80 magnesium alloy in different aging conditions. The alloy was solutionized at 415 °C for 24 h and aged at 150, 200, 250 and 300 °C for various duration. The results indicate that the shear strength is monotonically increased by increasing the ageing temperature in the range of 150–250 °C. The latter is justified considering the fact that the contribution of discontinuous precipitates in the alloy strengthening is increased by ageing temperature. The majority of continuous precipitates is formed in parallel to the basal plane and cannot resist to dislocation movement. In addition, a strength drop is seen by increasing the temperature to 300 °C. This is attributed to the higher planar space in cellular structure. On the contrary, the ductility variation indicates an opposite trend in the investigated temperature range. The lamellar and intergranular discontinuous precipitates are introduced as the main responsible for the ductility deterioration in the course of deformation. The current work also explores the existence of a linear relationship between shear punch test data and the results of universal tensile testing method. In addition, the precipitation behavior of the experimental alloy is properly addressed through a comprehensive scanning electron microscopy examination.