Physical metallurgy of Mg AZ80 alloys for forging applications

The Dow Chemical Company originally developed Mg AZ80 alloy in the 1950's for forging applications. The physical metallurgy and microstructural makeup of AZ series alloys can be quite varied and are dependent on alloy content, casting parameters, cooling rate, heat treatment, and thermomechanical processing. Early attempts to improve the ductility of this alloy focused on reduction of the as-cast grain size and volume fraction of brittle second …