Effects of Ce addition on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-6Zn-1Mn alloy

The effects of Ce addition on the microstructure of Mg-6Zn-1Mn alloy during casting, homogenization, hot extrusion, T4, T6 and T4＋two-step aging were investigated. The mechanical properties of alloys with and without Ce were compared. The results showed that Ce had an obvious effect on the microstructure of ZM61-0.5Ce alloy by restricting the occurrence of dynamic recrystallization and restraining the grain growth during extrusion and heat treatment subsequently. A new binary phase Mg 12 Ce was identified in ZM61-0.5Ce alloy, which distributed at grain boundaries and was broken to small particles distributed at grain boundaries along extrusion direction during extrusion. The mechanical properties of as-extruded ZM61-0.5Ce alloy were improved with the addition of Ce. The improved tensile properties of as-extruded ZM61-0.5Ce alloy were due to the finer grain sizes as compared to ZM61 alloy. However, the UTS and YS decreased severely and the elongation increased when ZM61-0.5Ce was treated by T6 and T4＋two-step aging. Brittle Mg 12 Ce phase, which was distributed at the grain boundary areas and cannot dissolve into the Mg matrix after solution treatment, became crack source under tensile stress.

Effects of yttrium and strontium additions on as-cast microstructure of Mg-14Li-1Al alloys

Mg-14Li-1Al （LA141）, LA141-0.3Y, LA141-0.3Sr, and LA141-0.3Y-0.3Sr alloys were prepared in an induction furnace in the argon atmosphere. The microstructures of these alloys were investigated through scanning electron microscope （SEM）, X-ray diffractometer （XRD） and energy dispersive spectrometer （EDS）. The results show that yttrium and/or strontium additions produce a strong grain refining effect in LA141 alloy. The mean grain sizes of the alloys with addition of Y and/or Sr are reduced remarkably from 600 to 500, 260, 230 μm, respectively. Al 2 Y, Al 4 Sr and Mg 17 Sr 2 phases with different morphologies are verified and exist inside the grain or at the grain boundaries, thus possibly act as heterogeneous nucleation sites and pin up grain boundaries, which restrain the grain growth.

Effect of heat treatment on microstructures and mechanical properties of sand-cast Mg-4Y-2Nd-1Gd-0.4Zr magnesium alloy

Influence of heat treatment on the microstructures and mechanical properties of sand-cast Mg-4Y-2Nd-1Gd-0.4Zr magnesium alloy was investigated,and the tensile fracture mechanisms of the studied alloys under different conditions were also discussed.The results show that the optimum T4 and T6 heat treatment conditions for the as-cast Mg-4Y-2Nd-1Gd-0.4Zr alloy are 525°C,8 h and（525°C,8 h）＋（225°C,16 h）,respectively,with regard to the microstructure observation,DSC heating curve and mechanical properties.The hardness,yield strength,ultimate tensile strength and elongation of the Mg-4Y-2Nd-1Gd-0.4Zr alloy treated by optimum T6 heat treatment are HV91,180 MPa,297 MPa and 7.4%,respectively.Moreover,the Mg-4Y-2Nd-1Gd-0.4Zr alloys under different heat treatment conditions exhibit different tensile fracture modes.

Comparative study on corrosion behavior of as-cast and extruded Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy in 5% NaCl aqueous solution

The corrosion behaviours of Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr magnesium alloys prepared by as-casting and extrusion were investigated in 5% NaCl aqueous solution by immersion and electrochemical tests. The microstructure indicates the mean grain size of 15 μm for the extruded and 100 μm for the as-cast Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr magnesium alloys. The corrosion morphology of as-cast sample shows pitting corrosion and little filiform corrosion, but that of the extruded sample shows pitting corrosion at the initial stage. The corrosion rate of extruded sample is higher than that of as-cast Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr alloy according to the immersion test. The second phases containing RE acting as cathodes improve the corrosion properties. The corrosion potentials of as-cast and extruded Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr alloys are -1.658 V and -1.591 V, respectively. The origins of the distinctive corrosion behavior of as-cast and extruded Mg-5Y-7Gd-1Nd-0.5Zr Mg alloys were discussed.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of as-extruded and heat treated Mg-6Zn-1Mn-4Sn-1.5Nd alloy

The microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg-6Zn-1Mn-4Sn-1.5Nd alloy subjected to extrusion and T5 treatment were investigated using optical microscopy（OM）, X-ray diffractometer（XRD）, scanning electron microscopy（SEM）, electron back scattered diffraction（EBSD）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, hardness tests and uniaxial tensile tests. The results showed that the as-cast alloy consisted of α（Mg）, Mn, Mg7Zn3, Mg2 Sn and Mg Sn Nd phases. Dynamic recrystallization has completed during the extrusion process and the average grain size was 7.2 μm. After T5 treatment, the strength increased obviously, the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of as-extruded alloy were increased by 94 and 34 MPa, respectively. Microstructure characterization revealed that the improvement of strength was determined by the high number density of β′1 rods.

Microstructure of Mg-8Zn-4Al-1Ca aged alloy

The microstructure of Mg-8Zn-4Al-1Ca aged alloy was investigated by TEM and HRTEM. The results show that the hardening produced in the Mg-8Zn-4Al-1Ca alloy is considerably higher than that in the Mg-8Zn-4A1 alloy. A dense dispersion of disc-like Ca2Mg6Zn3 precipitates are formed in Mg-8Zn-4Al-1Ca alloy aged at 160 ℃ for 16 h. In addition, the lattice distortions, honeycomb-looking Moir＆#233; fringes, edge dislocations and dislocation loop also exist in the microstructure. The precipitates of alloy aged at 160 ℃ for 48 h are coarse disc-like and fine dispersed grainy. When the alloy is subjected to aging at 160 ℃ for 227 h, the microstructure consists of numerous MgZn2 precipitates and Ca2Mg6Zn3 precipitates. All the analyses show that Ca is a particularly effective trace addition in improving the age-hardening and postponing the formation of MgZn2 precipitates in Mg-8Zn-4Al alloy aged at 160 ℃.

TEM microstructure of rapidly solidified Mg-6Zn-1Y-1Ce alloy

Rapidly solidified（RS） Mg-6Zn-1Y-1Ce ribbons were prepared by single roller melt-spinning technique.Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were employed to characterize the microstructure of RS ribbons.The results show that there is high density of particles distributed within grains and at grain boundaries in the region near wheel side.The particle density is decreased in the middle region and free surface region.The alloy is predominantly composed of supersaturated--Mg solid solution,T phase and W phase;meanwhile,a few icosahedral quasicrystalline and Mg4Zn7 particles are also observed.The T phase is confirmed having a body-centered orthorhombic structure that is transformed from the body-centered tetragonal structure Mg12Ce phase due to the partial substitution of Mg atoms by Zn.

Effects of cooling rate on bio-corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of Mg-1Zn-0.5Ca casting alloy

Mg?1Zn?0.5Ca alloys were prepared by traditional steel mould casting and water-cooled copper mould injection casting at higher cooling rate. Microstructure, mechanical properties and bio-corrosion resistance of two alloys were contrastively investigated. Grain size reduces remarkably and microstructure becomes homogenous when raising cooling rate. The bio-corrosion behaviour in 3.5% sodium chloride solution (3.5% NaCl) and Hank’s solution at 37°C was investigated using electrochemical polarization measurement and the results indicate that the alloy prepared at higher cooling rates has better corrosion resistance in both types of solution. Further mass loss immersion test in Hank’s solution reveals the same result. The reason of corrosion resistance improvement is that raising cooling rate brings about homogeneous microstructure, which leads to micro-galvanic corrosion alleviation. The tensile test results show that yield strength, ultimate tensile strength and elongation are improved by raising cooling rate and the improvement is mainly due to grain refinement.

Effect of ultrasonic melt treatment on degassing of Mg-6Zn-1Ca alloy

The effect of ultrasonic power and treatment time on degassing of Mg-6Zn-1Ca alloy was studied in this paper. The degassing effect was characterized by measuring densities of ingots. The results show that proper ultrasonic treatment can remove hydrogen from the melt of the Mg-6Zn-1Ca alloy. The ultrasonic degassing effect is closely related to the ultrasonic power density and treatment time. The degassing efficiency increases with an increase in ultrasonic power density when the melt is treated at 690 °C for 120 s, reaching its highest value at 1.2 W·cm-3. When the power density is 1.2 W·cm-3, with an increase in ultrasonic treatment time, the degassing efficiency increases at first, reaches its peak value at 120 s, then decreases as the ultrasonic treatment is further prolonged. In this experiment, the optimum degassing effect with an efficiency of 67.5 % is obtained by ultrasonic treatment with the power density of 1.2 W·cm-3 for 120 s. The maximum density of ingot can be increased from 1.8069 g·cm-3 to 1.8146 g·cm-3(increased by 0.43%).

Microstructures and tensile properties of as-cast Mg-5Sn-1Si magnesium alloy modified with trace elements of Y,Bi,Sb and Sr

The microstructures and mechanical properties of as-cast Mg-5 Sn-1 Si magnesium alloy modified with trace elements Y,Bi,Sb and Sr were investigated and compared.Results show that the microstructure of the as-cast Mg-5 Sn-1 Si alloy consists ofα-Mg,Mg_(2) Si,Mg_(2) Sn and Mg_(2)(Si_xSn_(1-x))phases.After adding 0.8 wt.%Y,0.3 wt.%Bi,0.9 wt.%Sb and 0.9 wt.%Sr,respectively into the Mg-5 Sn-1 Si magnesium alloy,Mg_(24)Y_(5),Mg_(3) Bi_(2),Mg_(3) Sb_(2) and Mg_(2) Sr phases are precipitated accordingly.Trace elements can refineα-Mg grain and Chinese scriptshaped Mg_(2) Si phase.Refinement efficiency of different trace elements onα-Mg grain and Mg_(2) Si phase is varied.Sr element has the best refinement effect,followed by Sb and Bi,while Y has the least refinement effect.Mg-5 Sn-1 Si-0.9 Sr alloy has higher tensile properties than the other three modified alloys.The refinement mechanism of Y,Bi and Sr elements on Mg-5 Sn-1 Si magnesium alloy can be explained by the growth restriction factors and the solute undercooling.For Mg-5 Sn-1 Si-0.9 Sb alloy,the heterogeneous nuclei of Mg_(3) Sb_(2) phase is the main reason for the refinement of grains and second phases.

Microstructures and properties in surface layers of Mg-6Zn-1Ca magnesium alloy laser-clad with Al-Si powders

Laser surface cladding with Al-Si powders was applied to a Mg-6Zn-1Ca magnesium alloy to improve its surface properties.The microstructure,phase components and chemical compositions of the laser-clad layer were analyzed by using X-ray diffractometry(XRD),scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and energy dispersive spectrometry(EDS).The results show that the clad layer mainly consists ofα-Mg,Mg2Si dendrites,Mg17Al12and Al3Mg2phases.Owing to the formation of Mg2Si,Mg17Al12and Al3Mg2intermetallic compounds in the melted region and grain refinement,the microhardness of the clad layer(HV0.025310)is about5times higher than that of the substrate(HV0.02554).Besides,corrosion tests in the NaCl(3.5%,mass fraction)water solution show that the corrosion potential is increased from-1574.6mV for the untreated sample to-128.7mV for the laser-clad sample,while the corrosion current density is reduced from170.1to6.7μA/cm2.These results reveal that improved corrosion resistance and increased hardness of the Mg-6Zn-1Ca alloy can be both achieved after laser cladding with Al-Si powders.

Effects of Li addition on the microstructure and tensile properties of the extruded Mg-1Zn-xLi alloy

Li addition is verified to be an effective method to increase the room temperature ductility and formability of Mg alloys.In the present study,the microstructure,texture,and tensile properties of the extruded Mg-1Zn-xLi(wt%,x=0,1,3,5)alloy sheets were studied by X-ray diffraction(XRD),scanning electron microscope(SEM),and electron backscatter diffraction(EBSD).It was found that Li addition resulted in the grain coarsening and the development of new transverse direction(TD)-tilting and{101^(-)0}parallel to extrusion direction textures,which was related to the improved dynamic recrystallization and the increased prismatic slip during extrusion.The Mg-1 Zn-5 Li sheet showed the weakest texture,which contained both basal and TD-tilting oriented grains.No additional phase was formed with Li addition.The yield strength of Mg-1Zn-xLi sheets gradually decreased with increasing Li content,which was mainly related to the grain coarsening and texture weakening.In addition,the ductility of the Mg-1Zn-xLi sheet was remarkably enhanced by Li addition.The elongation of the Mg-1 Zn-5 Li sheet was 30.3%along the TD,which was three times than that of Mg-1 Zn sheet.Microstructural analysis implied that this significant ductility enhancement was associated with the improvement activation of prismatic and basal slips during the tensile tests.This study may provide insights into the development of high-ductility,low-density Mg-Zn-Li based alloys.

Effect of small tensile deformation on damping capacities of Mg-1%Al alloy

Tensile tests with small deformation amounts of 0.5%,1%,3%and 5%were performed at room temperature on as cast Mg-1%Al alloy.Microstructures of the Mg-1%Al alloys before and after deformation were observed by optical microscopy(OM) and transmission electron microscopy(TEM).The strain amplitude dependent and temperature dependent damping capacities of the as-cast and deformed Mg-1%Al alloys were investigated by dynamic mechanical analysis(DMA).The mechanism of deformation on damping capacity of Mg-1%Al alloy was discussed.The results show that the as-cast Mg-1%Al alloy has high damping value at high strain.When the tensile elongation is higher than 3%,the damping values of this alloy in high strain region are significantly decreased at room temperature.But the large amount of dislocations produced by tensile deformation are activated by heat,and then increase the damping value at high temperature.

Grain refinement and plastic formability of Mg-14Li-1Al alloy

Al-5Ti-1B master alloy was added into Mg-14Li-1Al(LA141)alloy and then LA141 sheets were prepared by extrusion and cold rolling.The effect of the addition level of Al-5Ti-1B master alloy on the grain size of LA141 alloy was investigated as well as the effects of the total reduction of cold rolling and the annealing temperature on microstructure,mechanical properties and plastic formability of the LA141 sheets.The results show that the optimal addition level of Al-5Ti-1B master alloy into LA141 alloy is 1.25%(mass fraction)and LA141 alloy has the finest grains.With the increase of the total reduction of cold rolling,the grains of the as-rolled LA141 sheets were flattened gradually.A proper anneal temperature of 200℃ is obtained for the cold rolled LA141 sheets. Under this condition,microstructure of the LA141 sheets consists of fine and uniform equiaxed grains and has higher Erichsen cupping index(IE).

Residual stress and precipitation of Mg-5Zn-3.5Sn-1Mn-0.5Ca-0.5Cu alloy with different quenching rates

The effect of the quenching rate after solution treatment on the residual stress and precipitation behavior of a high strength Mg-5 Zn-3.5 Sn-1 Mn-0.5 Ca-0.5 Cu plate is studied.The simulation results show decreasing temperature gradient in the plate with decreasing quenching rate,which leads to weakened inhomogeneous plastic deformation and decreased residual stress.No dynamic precipitation on the grain boundary happens after either cold water cooling or air cooling,however,air cooling leads to dynamic precipitation of Mg-Zn phase on Mn particles around which a low-density precipitate zone develops after aging treatment.Moreover,the fine and densely distributed Mg-Zn precipitates observed after aging treatment of the cold water cooled alloy are replaced by coarse precipitates with low density for the air cooled alloy.Both the low-density precipitate zone near Mn particles and the coarsening of precipitates are the source of the decrease in hardness and tensile properties of the air cooled alloy.The residual stress drops faster than the hardness with decreasing quenching rate,which makes it possible to lower the residual stress without sacrificing too much age-hardening ability of the alloy.

Improved tensile properties of Mg-8Sn-1Zn alloy induced by minor Ti addition

In this study, the influence of minor titanium(Ti) addition on the microstructure and tensile properties of Mg-8Sn-1Zn based alloys were investigated by means of optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, and tensile tests. The results showed that Ti can decrease the secondary dendrite arm spacing(SDAS). The tensile strength of the Mg-8Sn-1Zn-Ti alloys is initially increased by increasing the Ti content up to 0.09 wt.%, but subsequently decreased for further increase of Ti content. The improved tensile properties are attributed to the decreased SDAS and refi ned Mg_2Sn phases, as well as the increased fraction of tin(Sn) segregated regions. The tensile fracture surface of the studied alloys shows mixed characteristics of cleavage and quasi-cleavage fracture. Adding Ti does not significantly change the fracture mode of the studied alloys.

Effects of Mg content on microstructure and mechanical properties of low Zn-containing Al-xMg-3Zn-1Cu cast alloys

Effects of Mg content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of low Zn-containing Al−xMg−3Zn−1Cu cast alloys(x=3−5,wt.%)were investigated.As Mg content increased in the as-cast alloys,the grains were refined due to enhanced growth restriction,and the formation ofη-Mg(AlZnCu)_(2) and S-Al_(2)CuMg phases was inhibited while the formation of T-Mg_(32)(AlZnCu)_(49 )phase was promoted when Mg content exceeded 4 wt.%.The increase of Mg content encumbered the solution kinetics by increasing the size of eutectic phase but accelerated and enhanced the age-hardening through expediting precipitation kinetics and elevating the number density of the precipitates.As Mg content increased,the yield strength and tensile strength of the as-cast,solution-treated and peak-aged alloys were severally improved,while the elongation of the alloys decreased.The tensile strength and elongation of the peak-aged Al−5Mg−3Zn−1Cu alloy exceed 500 MPa and 5%,respectively.Precipitation strengthening implemented by T′precipitates is the predominant strengthening mechanism in the peak-aged alloys and is enhanced by increasing Mg content.

Improved Corrosion Behavior of Biodegradable Mg-4Zn-1Mn Alloy Modified by Sr/F co-doped CaP Micro-arc Oxidation Coatings

The Sr/F co-doped CaP(Sr/F-CaP)coatings were prepared by micro-arc oxidation(MAO)under different voltages to modify the microstructure and corrosion behavior of Mg-4Zn-1Mn alloy.The surface and interface characteristics investigated using scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer(EDS)showed that the MAO coatings displayed uneven crater-like holes and tiny cracks under lower voltage,while they exhibited relatively homogeneous crater-like holes without cracks under higher voltage.The thickness of MAO coatings increased with increasing voltage.The corrosion behavior of Mg-4Zn-1Mn alloy was improved by the MAO coatings.The MAO coatings prepared under 450 V and 500 V voltages possessed the best corrosion resistance with regard to the electrochemical corrosion tests and immersion corrosion tests,respectively.The MAO coatings fabricated under 450-500 V could provide a better corrosion protection effect for the substrate.

Effects of ultrasonic vibration on solidification structure and properties of Mg-8Li-3Al alloy

Ultrasonic vibration was introduced into the Mg-8Li-3A1 alloy melt during its solidification process. The microstructure, corrosion resistance and mechanical properties of the Mg-8Li-3A1 alloy under ultrasonic vibration were investigated. The experiment results show that the morphology of a phase is modified from coarse rosette-like structure to fine globular one with the application of ultrasonic vibration. The fine globular structure is obtained especially when the power is 170 W, and the refining effect also gets better with prolonging the ultrasonic treatment time. The corrosion resistance of the alloy with 170 W of ultrasonic vibration for 90 s is improved apparently compared with the alloy without ultrasonic vibration. The mechanical properties of alloys with ultrasonic vibration are also both improved apparently. The tensile strength and elongation of alloy improve by 9.5% and 45.7%, respectively, with 170 W of ultrasonic treatment for 90 s.

Effect of Ca addition on grain refinement of Mg–9Li–1Al alloy

The as-cast and as-extruded Mg–9Li–1Al–xCa alloys(x=0,0.2;wt%)were prepared by a simple alloying process followed by hot extrusion with an extrusion ratio of 28.2.The microstructures of the as-cast and as-extruded Mg–9Li–1Al–xCa alloys were observed to investigate the effect of calcium(Ca)element on the Mg–9Li–1Al(LA91)alloy,and the crystallographic calculations between Al_(2)Ca and the matrix(α-Mg andβ-Li phases)were examined on the basis of the edge-to-edge matching model.The experimental results indicate that the addition of 0.2 wt%Ca into LA91 alloy reduce the size of theα-Mg phases in the as-cast alloy and that ofβ-Li phases in the as-extruded alloy due to the Al_(2)Ca particles distributed inside the matrix.Crystallographic calculation results suggested that there is a good crystallographic matching between the matrix and Al_(2)Ca,which confirmed that Al_(2)Ca particles can act as a heterogeneous nucleation site for bothα-Mg andβ-Li phases and were effective grain refiners for LA91 alloy.