Enhancement of Mechanical Behaviors and Microstructure Evolution of Nano-Nb2O5/AZ31 Composite Processed via Equal-Channel Angular Pressing (ECAP)

The automobile industry uses magnesium for load-bearing components due to its low density, durability, and ductility. This study investigated a nanocomposite containing Nb2O5 (3 and 6 wt%) nanoparticles as reinforcement with AZ31 magnesium alloy made by stir casting. A severe plastic deformation was conducted on the cast samples via equal-channel angular pressing (ECAP) after homogenization at 410 °C for 24 h and aging at 200 °C for 10 h. The microstructural distributions and mechanical properties of the magnesium metal matrix composites (MMCs) reinforced with Nb2O5 nanoparticles were investigated via ECAP. With the increase in the number of ECAP passes, the grain sizes became uniform, and the size of secondary phases reduced in the pure Nb2O5/AZ31 MMC. The grain size decreased remarkably after the ECAP process from 31.95 µm to 18.41µm due to the dynamic recrystallization during plastic deformation. The mechanical properties of hardness, ultimate tensile strength, and elongation effectively improved after each ECAP pass. The maximum values achieved for the Nb2O5/AZ31 composite subjected to ECAP were 64.12 ± 12 HV, 151.2 MPa, and 52.71%.