Enhancing mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn alloys via microalloying with Ce and La

Abstract

This study investigated the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-1Gd-1Y-1Zn (at.%) alloys containing designed amounts of Ce or La. The Mg₅(Gd,Zn) phase formed in the as-cast Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Ce/La alloys and disappeared after a homogenization treatment at 500°C for 24 h. The addition of Ce and La resulted in the formation of Ce(Mg,Zn)₁₂ and La(Mg,Zn)₁₂ phases, respectively. Except for that, the Ce or La addition had no significant effect on the morphology, volume fraction, and type of the long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phases in the Mg-Gd-Y-Zn alloy. The grain size decreased with increasing microalloying content because the heavy Ce and La atoms impeded atomic migration across the boundaries. The solute drag effect led to the formation of the rare earth texture in the extruded Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Ce/La alloys, whose extent decreased with increasing microalloying content. The mechanical strength was improved by the addition of Ce or La at the sacrifice of ductility. In particular, La exhibited a stronger reinforcement ability than Ce when it was added to the Mg-Gd-Y-Zn alloys. Among the investigated chemical compositions, the Mg-1Gd-1Y-1Zn-0.3La alloy exhibited the highest strength because it had the finest grains, the highest volume fraction of the second phase, and the weakest texture intensity. Furthermore, the alloys showed an unusual yield asymmetry due to the difference in the deformation mode of the LPSO phase.