A study of the deformation and failure mechanisms of protective intermetallic coatings on AZ91 Mg alloys using microcantilever bending.

In this study, a nanoindentation-based microcantilever bending technique was utilized to investigate the interfacial properties of a β-Mg 17 Al 12 /AZ91 Mg alloy film/substrate system under tensile loading conditions. Finite element analysis (FEA) was first undertaken to optimise the design of cantilever structures for inducing high tensile stresses at the interface. Cantilevers consisting of a necked region or notch at the interface were determined to be the most successful designs. Microcantilevers containing the β-Mg 17 Al 12 /AZ91 interface were then made using focused ion beam (FIB) milling technique. Necks were made in the cantilevers to intensify the tension at the interface and notches were used to introduce a stress concentration to the interface. During bending, the cantilevers were deflected to failure. Subsequent analysis of the deformed cantilevers using electron microscopies revealed that plastic deformation, and subsequent ductile rupture, of the AZ91 phase was the dominant failure mechanism. When the β-Mg 17 Al 12 /AZ91 film/substrate system was subjected to tension, the softer AZ91 phase failed prior to interfacial delamination, demonstrating that the strength of the interface exceeded the stresses that caused ductile failure in the substrate material. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]