1107117_Boehlert

1. The Deformation Behavior of a RE-containing Mg AlloyCarl J. Boehlert, Michigan State University, DMR 1107117 We have characterized the tensile deformation modes of an extruded Mg-1Mn-1Nd (MN11) alloy at 50°C, 150°C, and 250°C using an in-situ testing technique inside a scanning electron microscope (SEM). The overall objective was to understand the deformation of this special rare-earth (RE) containing alloy, which does not exhibit the typical wrought texture of conventional Mg alloys which tend to result in anisotropic deformation. At 50°C, extension twinning, basal <a>, prismatic <a>, and pyramidal <c+a> slip were active. At 150°C, much less extension twinning was observed. Both basal slip and prismatic slip were dominant at 50°C and 150°C. At 250°C, twinning was not observed, and basal slip controlled the deformation. Taking into account the different grain orientations involved in the analysis, the prismatic <a> slip and pyramidal <c+a> slip system percentages did not change markedly with temperature and the percentage of the basal slip+twinning modes remained basically the same for all three of the deformation temperatures. Therefore, the strain accommodated by twinning at the lower temperatures was replaced by basal slip at the higher temperatures.The CRSS of basal slip is believed to decrease with increasing temperature for MN11.

2. Scanning Electron Microscopy Education Outreach ProgramCarl J. Boehlert, Michigan State University, DMR 1107117 We have had 12 outreach activities in the College of Engineering at Michigan State University in the first year of this program. These activities are a part of the Scanning Electron Microscopy EDucation (SEMED) outreach program, details are available at http://www.egr.msu.edu/~boehlert/SEMED . More than 100 K-12 students in Michigan have been educated about SEM, materials science, and especially the importance of Mg alloys. The MSU volunteers who participate are undergraduate and graduate students as well as faculty and staff and they not only discuss science and technical issues, but they also inform students about issues involving secondary education in STEM fields. We are also developing educational modules on Mg alloys to help educate and inspire future scientists, and the modules are being developed in English and Spanish to reach a larger and more diverse community in the United States and Europe (in particular Madrid, Spain K-12 students)