Properties of boride-added powder metallurgy magnesium alloys

Magnesium alloys with metallic borides, magnesium diboride (MgB2) or aluminum diboride (AlB2), were investigated regarding their mechanical properties, transverse rupture strength (TRS) and micro Vickers hardness (HV). The alloys were made from pure Mg, Al and B powders by mechanical alloying and hot pressing to have boride content of between 2.0 and 20 vol%. The alloy with AlB2 exhibited an obvious improvement of HV around a boride content of 6 vol% though the other alloy, with MgB2, did not. TRS showed moderate maxima around the same boride content region for the both alloys. X-ray diffraction measurements indicated an intermetallic compound, Mg17Al12, formed in the alloy with AlB2, which was consistent with its higher hardness.