Effect of Mg Addition on the Mechanical Properties of Rapidly Solidified Al-Mn Alloys at Elevated Temperatures

With an aim of clarifying the strength of rapidly solidified P/M materials strengthened by solid solution of Mg and dispersion of transition metal compounds at elevated temperature, Al-2mass%Mn, Al-4mass%Mn and Al-6mass%Mn alloys with varied Mg additions of 0, 1 and 3 mass% were prepared by rapid solidification techniques. Rapidly solidified (RS) flakes were produced by remelting alloy ingots in a graphite crucible, atomizing the alloy melt and subsequent splat-quenching on a rotating water-cooled copper roll under argon atmosphere. The RS flakes were consolidated to the P/M materials by hot extrusion after vacuum degassing. Cast ingots of these alloys were also hot-extruded under the same conditions to the I/M as reference materials. Metallographic structures and constituent phases were studied for the P/M and I/M materials by optical microscope and X-ray diffraction. Mechanical properties of as-extruded and annealed P/M materials and as-extruded I/M materials were examined by tensile test at room and elevated temperatures under various strain rates. Uniform dispersion of fine intermetallic compounds (Al6Mn) was observed in all the as-extruded P/M materials. Added Mg was present as the solute in I/M and P/M materials alloy even after annealing. The P/M materials containing Mg exhibited higher hardness and strength at room temperature, than those without Mg. It was considered that both solid solution of Mg and dispersion of intermetallic compounds were contributing the hardness and strength increase in the rapidly solidified Al-Mn-Mg alloys. Tensile strength increases with increasing amount of Mg in I/M materials at all testing temperatures. However, strength of as-extruded P/M materials decreases with addition of Mg at 573K and 673K. Thus the positive effects of Mg additions on tensile strength of as-extruded P/M materials disappeared at higher testing temperature. Tensile strength of annealed P/M materials in which dislocation density decreased and compound particle coarsened increased with addition of Mg at elevated temperatures.