Study of Mg–Al–Ca magnesium alloy ameliorated with designed Al8Mn4Gd phase

Abstract

To investigate the effect of Al8Mn4Gd phase on microstructural and mechanical properties of Mg–Al–Ca magnesium alloy, two Mg–2.5Al2Ca and Mg–2.5Al2Ca-0.1Al8Mn4Gd alloys were designed and compared in this work. The results show that a small amount of Gd can significantly refine α-Mg grains and change the morphology of Al2Ca particles. Indeed, the formed Al8Mn4Gd phase could serve as a heterogeneous nucleation site for the α-Mg grains and Al2Ca particles. Furthermore, the introduction of Gd not only optimized the mechanical properties of Mg–Al–Ca alloy, but also facilitated the thermal deformation (such as hot rolling).