Investigations on the Forging Behavior of Mg–Ca–Al Alloys

Mg parts for modern transport applications must compete with high performance materials such as 7xxx series Al alloys, making superior strength an important factor. Mg–Ca wrought alloys have shown promising results in this regard, exhibiting high strength and adequate ductility over a broad range of alloying contents. These properties originate from the forming process, creating a fine-grained microstructure in combination with stabilizing intermetallic phases. While extruded profiles made from these alloys have been well investigated, no studies on the forging behavior of Mg–Ca alloys have been published yet. Therefore, the forgeability of two Mg–Ca–Al alloys, XA22 and XA55, has been analyzed for extruded and cast stock alike. The processing steps and resulting material properties, based on microstructural analysis and mechanical testing at room temperature, are discussed in this work.