MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF WN43 MAGNESIUM ALLOY PREPARED BY SPARK PLASMA SINTERING

The spark plasma sintering (SPS) method was used to prepare bulk materials form WN43 magnesium alloy atomized powder. Compression tests were carried out in order to investigate the effect of different sintering regimes (10 min at 400, 450, or 500 degrees C) on the mechanical properties of the material. Furthermore, complementary in-situ acoustic emission (AE) recording was employed to reveal the dynamics of deformation processes during compression. It was shown that by increasing the sintering temperature, the ultimate compressive strength and ductility were significantly improved. The AE data and microstructure observations suggest that pronounced twin nucleation takes place around the yield point whereas twin growth and dislocation activity are the dominant deformation mechanisms in the later stages of deformation.