Microstructural evolution and semisolid forming of SCC particulate reinforced AZ91HP magnesium composites

The aim of this paper is to report the experimental results concerning the microstructural evolution and formability of semisolid forming SiC particulate reinforced AZ91HP Mg composites. The composite materials were produced in the form of cylindrical billets by a rotating cylinder method. The microstructural evolution was characterised by conventional parameters (liquid fraction, average size of globules, and number of globules per unit area) as functions of temperature and isothermal holding time in the semisolid state, In addition, special attention was paid to the shapes of the globules and the liquid droplets entrained within the globules and to the variation of hardness with regard to microstructural evolution. Finally, the formability of the composites was evaluated through thixocasting trials, and then correlated with the effective liquid fraction of the composites. MST/4562.