Enhancing tensile/compressive response of magnesium alloy AZ31 by integrating with Al₂O₃ nanoparticles

AZ31 nanocomposite containing Al₂O₃ nanoparticle reinforcement was fabricated using solidification processing followed by hot extrusion. The Al₂O₃ nanoparticle reinforcement was isolated prior to melting by wrapping in Al foil of minimal weight (<0.50 wt% with respect to AZ31 matrix weight). The AZ31 nanocomposite exhibited slightly smaller grain and intermetallic particle sizes than monolithic AZ31, reasonable Al₂O₃ nanoparticle distribution, non-dominant (0 0 0 2) texture in the longitudinal direction unlike monolithic AZ31, and 30% higher hardness than monolithic AZ31. Compared to monolithic AZ31, the AZ31 nanocomposite exhibited higher 0.2%TYS, UTS, failure strain and work of fracture (WOF) (+19%, +21%, +113% and +162%, respectively). Also, compared to monolithic AZ31, the AZ31 nanocomposite exhibited higher 0.2%CYS and UCS, similar failure strain, and higher WOF (+5%, +5%, -4% and +11%, respectively). Inclusive of crystallographic texture changes, the effect of Al₂O₃ nanoparticle integration on the enhancement of tensile and compressive properties of AZ31 is investigated in this paper.