Comparative effects of electrical pulse

Magnesium alloys have emerged as a crucial alternative material for lightweight structural components in aerospace, 3C electronics, and automotive manufacturing due to their low density and superior die-casting performance. However, AZ91D magnesium alloy exhibits anisotropy after rolling and needs to be improved by long-term annealing treatment, which reduces production efficiency and increases cost. In recent years, pulse current treatment has been widely used in material modification due to its efficient and environmentally friendly characteristics. This paper studied the effects of electric pulse annealing treatment and conventional annealing treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ91D magnesium alloy. The results show that pulse current annealing can be completed quickly at a lower temperature, and the tensile strength and elongation of the samples after treatment are higher than those after conventional annealing. Specifically, it has been determined that 123 A/mm² is the optimal parameter for pulse current annealing: compared with the samples subjected to conventional annealing, the grain size of the samples treated under this parameter is refined to 65.37 μm, with the tensile strength increased by 32.70% and the elongation increased by 20.65%. Furthermore, pulsed current annealing technology provides a new, efficient, green production solution, expected to promote its wide application in more fields.