A novel approach for producing AZ31B mg alloy wire with a promising combination of strength and ductility using CoreFlow™

AZ31B Mg alloy wires were successfully produced from commercial hot-rolled plates in one step using the CoreFlow™ process, a novel stationary shoulder friction stir extrusion manufacturing. CoreFlowed AZ31B wires exhibited fine grains with a heterogeneous grain size distribution of 6.5±4.2 μm along the transverse direction (TD) compared with the as-received material. A weakened texture was also obtained in CoreFlowed AZ31B, with basal poles aligned parallel to TD shift toward extrusion direction (ED) from wire centre to edge. Periodic needle-like regions with a distinctively different orientation from neighbouring regions were observed at the sample edge. The true ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and elongation (El) of CoreFlowed sample was 313±4 MPa and 20.1±0.4%. The El was significantly increased by 52% with improved UTS compared to the as-received material. Such a good combination of strength and ductility is attributed to the grain refinement with heterogeneity, texture weakening, and homogeneously redistributed second phase particles