Towards directly formable thin gauge AZ31 Mg alloy sheet production by melt conditioned twin roll casting

A novel melt conditioned twin roll casting (MCTRC) strategy with emphasis on solidification control has been investigated for producing thin gauge Mg alloy sheets ready for component forming, with the minimal requirement of down-stream processing. The performance of 1.5 mm thick AZ31 Mg alloy sheet is reported in this study to demonstrate the effect of the solidification control strategy on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Mg alloy sheet produced by MCTRC process. The anisotropy of in-plane tensile properties of the AZ31 sheets is evaluated in association with characteristic features of solidification, deformation behaviour and texture evolution during the solidification control MCTRC process. The improved mechanical performance is attributed to the refined and uniform microstructure, reduced centre-line segregation and minimized deformation, which results in a weak basal texture.EPSRC of Future Liquid Metal Engineering Hub (Grant No. EP/N007638/1