Grain refinement in AZ91 magnesium alloy during thermomechanical processing

Microstructural changes during high-temperature extrusion and torsion of an AZ91 alloy (Mg–9Al–1Zn, wt.%) were investigated. In the experimental domain studied, dynamic recrystallisation (DRX) occurs and the effect of temperature and strain rate on the resulting recrystallised grain size was investigated. Complete recrystallisation in torsion is associated with the development of a stress plateau after softening from the peak stress, which is systematically observed in the first steps of straining. The resulting grain size can be related to the value of the peak stress. It appears that the precipitation of the Mg17Al12 phase does not affect significantly the torsion behaviour of the alloy in the experimental domain investigated here. This study supports the idea that very fine-scale microstructures (i.e. with a mean grain size smaller than 5 μm) can be easily produced by DRX during high-temperature extrusion of the AZ91 alloy.