Assessment of Microstructure and Wear Resistance of Friction Stir Processed Cast Mg-Al-Zn Magnesium Alloy

Microstructure, micro hardness and wear resistance of friction stir processed cast magnesium alloy are investigated in this work. Image analysis is used to differentiate the amount of phases present in the base metal and friction stir processed regions. Hardness mapping indicates that the frictions stir processed region has 64 % increase in microhardness compared to the base metal. Wear resistance was evaluated using pin-on-disc testing and it is found that the friction stir processed region has superior wear resistance compared to the base metal. Fine grains with uniformly distributed second phase particles are the reasons for improved microhardness and wear resistance of friction stir processed region.