In order to improve the mechanical properties of magnesium, dispersion strengthening with α-alumina particles (
pAl
2O
3) is experimentally investigated as an application of powder metallurgy. The trial process consists of milling, compacting and hot-pressing. The microstructure of hot-pressed discs of magnesium composites were investigated using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction (XRD) and electron probe micro analysis. The density, surface hardness, and maximum bending stress for deflection were also measured. All of the mechanically alloyed (MA) prepared powders were composed of only magnesium (Mg) and alumina (Al
2O
3). Although the particle size of the MA powders varied, the mean values were approximately 80 μm and were approximately the half size of the raw Mg powder. Not only Mg powder, but also
pAl
2O
3 became finer with processing, and the
pAl
2O
3 was almost uniformly dispersed in the Mg powder. In addition, the fine
pAl
2O
3 was almost uniformly dispersed within the Mg of the
pAl
2O
3 dispersion strengthened (ODS) magnesium discs. For all discs, a small quantity of magnesium oxide (MgO) was identified along with Mg and Al
2O
3. However, in only the 22.7 vol%
pAl
2O
3/Mg disc, an XRD peak assigned to an Al-Mg intermetallic compound (Al
12Mg
17) was detected, in addition to Mg, Al
2O
3 and MgO. It is proposed that Al
12Mg
17 was produced by the solid-state reaction of Mg and Al
2O
3, and appeared at the interface between the regions of only Mg and regions where
pAl
2O
3 is dispersed in Mg. The density of the discs was above the theoretical density for all
pAl
2O
3 content; the density for the highest
pAl
2O
3 content of 22.7 vol% was approximately 0.8 times greater than that of practical Al alloys. The 22.7 vol%
pAl
2O
3 disc had a maximum hardness value of 280 HV. This value is much higher than that of both pure Mg ingot and AZ91D. The maximum bending stress decreased with an increase in the
pAl
2O
3 content. The reason for this is considered to be that the discs become harder and more brittle, and voids are easier formed in the discs. Therefore, cracks that are generated on the specimen surface propagate easier.
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