2009 Volume 50 Issue 4 Pages 841-846
To develop a forging process for high strength Mg-Zn-Y alloys with a long period stacking ordered (LPSO) structure, the forgeability and flow stress of Mg97Zn1Y2 (at%) alloys were investigated with the upsettability test at an initial strain rate of 0.55 s−1. As-cast and extruded Mg97Zn1Y2 alloys can be successfully forged without fracture up to 0.5 and 1.0 respectively of average equivalent strain at a forging temperature of 773 K. To remove the influence of the temperature change during upsetting from the experimentally obtained flow stress curve, the isothermal flow stress curve was estimated by combining experimental results with finite element analysis. Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the forged Mg-Zn-Y alloys were measured, and the influence of microstructure on the forging properties was discussed.