Deformation mechanisms of pure Mg materials fabricated by using pre-rolled powders

In the present work, a powder rolling process was utilized in the fabrication of fine grained pure Mg via powder metallurgy. Mg flakes were obtained after each rolling process, and broken into pieces for further rolling or sintering. Mg samples of experiencing 0, 5 and 10 rolling passes were obtained following spark plasma sintering (SPS) and hot extrusion. Microstructural results from electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) revealed that, without experiencing powder rolling, the specimen contained a great number of residual tensile twins; in contrast, after powder rolling the specimen showed uniform and equiaxed grain structures. In addition, the average grain size was measured to be around 9.2, 2.9 and 2.1 μm for the samples subjected to 0, 5 and 10 rolling passes. The powder rolled specimens were found superior in mechanical properties. Post-loading microstructure examinations were also performed for the samples and a discussion regarding the relationship between their mechanical behavior and microstructures was provided.