The Effects of Temperature and Strain Rate on the Tensile Behaviour of Die-Cast Magnesium Alloy AE44

The tensile properties and work hardening behaviour of die-cast magnesium alloy AE44 were investigated at a wide range of temperatures from 77 to 473 K and strain rates from 10–6 to 10–1 s−1. AE44 was also subjected to T5 ageing to understand the effect of heat treatment on the work hardening behaviour. Both the as-cast and T5-aged AE44 showed a continuous decrease in strength and hardening rate with increasing temperature. A positive strain-rate sensitivity was observed over the entire temperature range. Voce hardening law was used to examine the work hardening behaviour, and it appears that the athermal hardening stage previously reported for magnesium alloys does not exist in AE44 for the studied temperatures and strain rates.