Abstract: Mg-alloys are becoming increasingly important based on the technological advantages given their low density compared to current structural metals such as Al- and Fe-based alloys. However, unlike their fcc and bcc counterparts, little has been done to investigate the processing, underlying deformation mechanisms and properties of nanocrystalline/nanostructured hcp Mg-based alloys.

This presentation will present innovative processing approaches to the nanostructuring of Mg-alloys via ​“bottom-up” powder processing and ​“top-down” severe plastic deformation methods and highlight the support of computational tools for each endeavor. Thoughts and correlations on the linkages between the fundamental deformation mechanisms and resultant mechanical properties will be given along with the benefits and limitations of each processing approach. The initial experimental outcomes point to unprecedented increases in strength, control of texture and anisotropy, and increased formability at low temperatures. These results forecast promising tactics for the design of Mg-alloys with superior strength and ductility for advanced structural and transportation applications.

Bio: Suveen Mathaudhu is a professor in the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department at the Colorado School of Mines. Mathaudhu received his B.S.E. from Walla Walla University, and his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees from Texas A&M University, all in mechanical engineering.