Effect of Zn addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of cast Mg-Gd-Y-Zr alloys

The effects of Zn addition on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg.10Gd.3Y.0.6Zr(wt.%)alloys in the as-cast,solution-treated,and peak-aged conditions were investigated.Experimental results reveal that the microstructure of the as-cast alloy without Zn consists ofα-Mg and Mg24(Gd,Y)5 phases,and the alloy with 0.5 wt.%Zn consists ofα-Mg,(Mg,Zn)3(Gd,Y)and Mg24(Gd,Y,Zn)5 phases.With the addition of Zn increasing to 1 wt.%,the Mg24(Gd,Y,Zn)5 phase disappears and some needle-like stacking faults distribute along the grain boundaries.Moreover,the 18R long-period stacking ordered(LPSO)phase is observed in the as-cast alloy with 2 wt.%Zn.After solution treatment,the Mg24(Gd,Y)5 and Mg24(Gd,Y,Zn)5 eutectic phases are completely dissolved,and the(Mg,Zn)3(Gd,Y)phase,needle-like stacking faults and 18R LPSO phase all transform into 14H LPSO phase.Both the suitable volume fraction of 14H LPSO phases and the fine ellipsoidal-shapedβ′phases make the peak-aged alloy with 0.5 wt.%Zn exhibit excellent comprehensive mechanical properties and the UTS,YS and elongation are 338 MPa,201 MPa and 6.8%,respectively.

Microalloying Effect of Sn on Phase Transformation During Heat Treatment in Mg–Y–Zn–Zr Alloys

The microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-cast and heat-treated Mg-4.6 Y-2.5 Zn-0.6 Zr-x Sn(x = 0, 0.2 and0.5 wt%) alloys were investigated in this work. The results showed that the eutectics have been refined with 0.2% Sn addition and it has no effect on the phase category of the alloys. However, Sn3 Y5 phase was found in 0.5% Sn-added alloy.After heat treatment at 520 °C, the transformation of the long-period stacking ordered(LPSO) phase takes place in the Mg-Y-Zn-Zr alloy, but the transition is not completed in the alloys containing Sn. In addition, during the heat treatment, the mechanical properties of Sn-free alloys are significantly improved, and the strength of alloys containing Sn does not change much. Through observation and analysis of the microstructure and mechanical properties, it is found that Sn addition hinders the process of a0-Mg ? a-Mg ? 14 H and the process is the key to the transition of 18 H-LPSO to 14 H-LPSO.