Plastic flow behavior of a high-strength magnesium alloy NZ30K

Highlights: ► Flow behavior of the newly developed NZ30K alloy was investigated. ► Two constitutive models were established for the new magnesium alloy. ► Deformation mechanism of the newly developed NZ30K alloy was investigated. - Abstract: The plastic flow behavior of a newly developed high strength magnesium alloy, Mg–3Nd–0.2Zn–0.4Zr (NZ30K, wt.%), was investigated by tensile testing in the temperature range of 25–400 °C and a strain rate range of 1 × 10−4–1 × 10−2. The constitutive relationship for this alloy deformed at elevated temperatures was determined by plotting the experimental data according to the Arrhenius and hyperbolic sine models. The results show that both equations fit the experimental data reasonably well. The effect of deformation parameters on the microstructure and deformation mechanisms of the alloy was also examined using optical metallography and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) techniques. The results suggest that basal slip and twinning are the main deformation mechanisms at temperatures up to 200 °C; and that recrystallization occurs at deformation temperatures above 200 °C. Dynamic recrystallization (DRX) was shown to be the main softening mechanism at temperatures above 400 °C.