Effect of T5 and T6 Tempers on a Hot-Rolled WE43 Magnesium Alloy

The influence of T5 and T6 tempers at 523 K on the mechanical properties and microstructure of hot-rolled WE43 alloy has been studied. The microstructure of the alloy under various conditions was studied using an optical microscope, a transmission electron microscope, and a x-ray diffractometer. The mechanical properties were measured on a tensile testing system. The results show that the hot-rolled WE43 alloy has a substantially higher hardness and strength improvement than the cast WE43 alloy. The hot-rolled WE43 alloy with a T5 temper showed better properties than the alloy with a T6 temper because both strain hardening and age hardening increased the strength of the alloy. In addition, the size of the precipitates after a T5 temper was smaller than that after a T6 temper. The yield strength of the alloy parallel to the rolling direction was higher than that perpendicular to the rolling direction.