Abstract
High performance Mg–6Al–3Sn–0.25Mn–xZn alloys (x = 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 wt %) without rare earth were designed. The effects of different Zn contents on the microstructure and mechanical properties were systematically investigated. The addition of Zn obviously refines the as-cast alloys dendritic structure because of the increase in the number in the second phase. For the as-extruded alloys, an appropriate amount of Zn promotes complete recrystallization, thus increasing the grain size. As the Zn content increases, the texture gradually evolves into a typical strong basal texture, which means that the basal slip is difficult to initiate. Meanwhile, the addition of Zn promotes the precipitation of small-sized second phases, which can hinder the dislocation movement. The combination of texture strengthening and precipitation strengthening is the main reason for the improvement of alloys’ strength.
Highlights
Magnesium alloys are considered as promising structural materials in the automotive and aerospace industry because of their low density, high stiffness, and easy recycling [1,2,3]
At present, magnesium alloys are not widely used and cannot completely replace steel and aluminum alloys. This is because the specific strength of the magnesium alloy is very high, but the absolute strength is relatively low, which makes it difficult to apply to large-scale engineering fields [4]
2 showsAll theofoptical micrographs of the as-cast alloys with various the cast alloys are characteristic of aMg–6Al–3Sn–0.25Mn-based typical dendritic structure
Summary
Magnesium alloys are considered as promising structural materials in the automotive and aerospace industry because of their low density, high stiffness, and easy recycling [1,2,3]. At present, magnesium alloys are not widely used and cannot completely replace steel and aluminum alloys. This is because the specific strength of the magnesium alloy is very high, but the absolute strength is relatively low, which makes it difficult to apply to large-scale engineering fields [4]. The introduction of rare earth (RE) elements into Mg alloys can significantly improve the mechanical properties of an alloy [5,6,7]. RE elements are expensive, which is not conducive to the wide application of magnesium alloys. It is necessary to develop a series of rare earth-free and high-performance magnesium alloys
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