Deformation behavior of the Mg–Zn–Zr–Nd–Gd alloy

Abstract

Gd and Nd added Mg–Rare Earth (Mg–RE) alloys have attracted high-temperature applications due to their excellent combinations of high specific strength, high specific stiffness, good damping capacity, and better creep life. Despite these advantages, such Mg–RE alloys have attracted applications only in the cast form, owing to the difficulty in hot workability. Therefore, to understand the hot deformation behavior of Mg–Zn–Zr–Nd–Gd alloy, the present study correlates the results of hot compression studies with microstructure and texture. Serrated flow behavior is observed due to the dynamic strain aging. Maximum strain rate sensitivity is achieved between 580 K–650 K at lower strain rates 0.001 s−1–0.01 s−1. Dynamic recovery is predominantly active within this range of temperature and strain rate. Dynamic precipitation produces ultra-fine precipitates and leads to the suppression of dynamic recrystallization behavior. All deformed samples develop a relatively weak basal texture with the [0 0 0 1] axis parallel to the compression direction.