Improvement of ductility for Twin Roll Cast and rolled AZ31 strips by use of Taguchi method

Magnesium alloys have great potential in the area of lightweight production especially in the automotive industry due to their favorable combination of mechanical properties and low density. The effects of various rolling parameters on ductility were investigated using the Taguchi method. The optimum combination of process parameters has been found through analysis of main effects of ductility and signal-to-noise ratio, and the significant parameter were identified depending on analysis of variance. The results demonstrate that reduction is the most important factor for improving the ductility of the final strips, followed by rolling temperature and rolling speed. The optimal levels for the controllable factors were rolling temperature of 375 degrees C, rolling speed of 175 m/min and reduction of 70% for higher ductility. (c) 2012 Politechnika Wroclawska. Published by Elsevier Urban & Partner Sp. z o.o. All rights reserved.