Investigation on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of a Mg-Gd-Y-Zr Alloy Plate

Abstract

In order to confirm whether the Zener—Hollomon parameter (Z)—recrystallized grain size (d) model obtained from hot compression tests is suitable for the commercial production, the microstructure and mechanical properties of the extruded Mg-8Gd-3Y-0.6Zr alloy plate were investigated. The grain size of the plate has been predicted based on this model. The results indicated that the predicted grain sizes disagree with the measured ones. The static recrystallization should be considered for the center area samples, and the recrystallization mechanism of particle stimulated nucleation (PSN) together with the inhibiting effects caused by precipitated particles should be taken into account for the edge area samples. Precipitation of β phases during extrusion lowered the driving force during ageing, which resulted in the yield strength and ultimate strength of the samples cut from the edge area lower than that of the samples cut from the center area.

Keywords:

• Alloy
• Extrusion
• Inhomogeneity temperature
• Microstructure
• Precipitation
• Property
• Recrystallization