Additive friction stir deposition of AZ31B magnesium alloy

The current work explored additive friction stir deposition of AZ31B magnesium alloy with the aid of MELD? technology. AZ31B magnesium bar stock was fed through a hollow friction stir tool rotating at constant velocity of 400 rpm and translating at linear velocity varied from 4.2 to 6.3 mm/s. A single wall consisting of five layers with each layer of 140 × 40 × 1 mm3dimensions was deposited under each processing condition. Microstructure, phase, and crystallographic texture evolutions as a function of additive friction stir deposition parameters were studied with the aid of scanning electron microscopy including electron back scatter diffraction and X-ray diffraction. Both feed material and additively produced samples consisted of the α-Mg phase. The additively produced samples exhibited a refined grain structure compared to the feed material. The feed material appeared to have a weak basal texture, while the additively produced samples experienced a strengthening of this basal texture. The additively produced samples showed a marginally higher hardness compared to the feed material. The current work provided a pathway for solid state additive manufacturing of Mg suitable for structural applications such as automotive components and consumable biomedical implants.