Rare Earth Texture Research Articles

High strength and elongation of Mg-Gd-Nd-Zr alloy obtained by synergistic action of high-speed extrusion and short-time aging treatment

Magnesium–gadolinium (Mg–Gd)-based alloys have excellent high-temperature properties and the addition of two heterogeneous rare earth (RE) elements may promote the formation of secondary phase for better-strengthened properties. Herein, novel Mg-7Gd-2Nd-0.5Zr (wt%) alloys were prepared by synergistic reaction induced by high-speed extrusion (EX) and short-time aging treatment (AT). The microstructures, textures, and mechanical properties of the resulting alloys were then comprehensively studied by various analytical methods. The result reveals that the as-cast Mg-7Gd-2Nd-0.5Zr (wt%) alloy is composed of α-Mg matrix and Mg5(Gd,Nd) phase with bony and continuous networks at grain boundaries. The microstructure presents coarse deformed grains and fine recrystallized grains after high-speed EX, and formation of typical (0001)∥ ED extruded fiber texture and [1¯21¯1] RE texture is observed. The EX22 sample exhibits more Mg5(Gd,Nd) precipitated phases, fuller DRXed grains, and shorter peak aging times than the EX9 sample. After the AT at 250 °C, the proportion of deformed grains decreases due to static recrystallization, which leads to a reduction in the average grain size and weakening of the texture intensity. Therefore, combined effect of all strengthening mechanisms aids in achieving balance of high-strength and high-elongation for Mg-7Gd-2Nd-0.5Zr (wt%) alloy. The values of yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS), and elongation (EL) of EX22-A sample at room temperature are found to be 292.5 MPa, 350.6 MPa, and 24.3%, respectively. Overall, this study provides relevant experimental basis and theoretical guidance for the development of high-strength Mg-RE alloys, which are useful for future consideration.

Non-basal slip induced rare earth texture evolution in Mg-14Gd-0.5Zr (wt%) alloy during the traditional hot rolling

In this work, extruded plates made of Mg-13.9Gd-0.45Zr (wt%) alloy, without any significant texture, were rolled at 475 °C along the extrusion direction (ED) and the extrusion transverse direction (ETD) to investigate the evolution of texture during the traditional hot rolling process. The microstructure and texture evolution during the rolling process were characterized and analyzed by electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD). The results reveal that a kind of rare earth (RE) texture that split from the normal direction (ND) towards the rolling transverse direction (RTD) can be formed by the prismatic slip at low strain. However, with the strain increasing, the RE texture gradually transforms into a basal texture since the extensive activation of basal <a> dislocations and pyramidal <c+a> dislocations, especially pyramidal <c+a> dislocations. This transformation solely depends on the rolling reduction, which underscores the significance of strain as a pivotal factor in the texture modification.

Superior strength-ductility synergy of Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr alloy rod achieved by drawing at elevated temperatures

Mg alloys with superior strength-ductility synergy is highly desired for applications. In this study, the as-extruded Mg-Nd-Zn-Zr (JDBM) alloy rod was subjected to single-pass drawing over a range of temperature 200 ∼ 600 °C to enhance the properties. After drawing, a more homogeneous and refined microstructure developed because of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and dynamic precipitation (DP). With the increase of drawing temperature, grain sizes increased first and then decreased due to the competition of grain nucleation and growth, while the sizes of the secondary phase particles varied in the same way. And a nearly basal texture evolved from a rare earth texture of the as-extruded sample. The yield strength of the as-drawn samples increased by ∼2.2 times with a sacrifice of elongation to fracture at different level. The high yield strength mainly originats from grain boundary and dislocation strengthening. An optimal combination of high yield strength (∼301 MPa) and good ductility (elongation to fracture of ∼19 % and improved strain hardening capacity) was obtained after drawing at 500 °C. The yield strength enhancement is mainly derived from texture and dislocation strengthening. Grain and secondary phase particle refinement, large volume fraction of low angle grain boundaries and reduced geometrically necessary dislocations are considered to be beneficial to the good ductility. In addition, a novel method has been proposed to fabricate materials with superior strength-ductility synergy by deformation with large strain at high temperatures to activate severe DP.

Track-Rex: A universal toolbox for tracking recrystallization nucleation and grain growth behaviors in polycrystalline materials

Recrystallization annealing is widely used to tailor the microstructure and enhance the performance of cold-deformed metallic materials. However, the underlying recrystallization mechanisms are debated, even with the use of cutting-edge characterization techniques. Here, we develop a Track-Rex toolbox to analyze quasi-in-situ electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) datasets of two magnesium (Mg) alloys during static recrystallization via grain correlation. The results show that the recrystallized grains do not always grow; instead, they can shrink or even be consumed. This is attributed to the presence of newly formed recrystallized grains that possess a growth advantage over the old recrystallized grains. The rare earth containing Mg-2.4Zn-0.2Ce wt.% (ZE20) alloy exhibits a higher nucleation activity in the shear bands compared to the commercial Mg-3Al-1 Zn (AZ31) alloy. Regardless of the nucleation timing and sites, recrystallized grains in the ZE20 alloy show consistent off-basal orientations, serving as the origin of the rare earth texture. Moreover, the off-basal texture of these recrystallized grains is further strengthened through preferential growth during subsequent annealing. On the contrary, the recrystallized grains in the AZ31 exhibit scattered basal orientations that grow uniformly, resulting in a weak basal texture.

Effect of initial grain size on the recrystallization behavior and recrystallization texture of a Mg–3Gd alloy

The effect of initial grain size on the recrystallization and recrystallization texture of a rolled Mg–3Gd (wt.%) alloy is studied in detail. The results show that the deformation microstructure of an initially coarse-grained (CG) sample has a larger twinned area and a higher density of twin boundaries than a fine-grained (FG) sample. After annealing, the CG sample recrystallizes preferentially in the twinned area, whereas the FG sample adopts the higher density grain boundaries as the nucleation sites. Furthermore, weak recrystallization texture components appear from the grain nucleation stage, regardless of the initial grain size, and are preserved after complete recrystallization due to uniform grain growth. The majority of recrystallization texture is deviated 20°–45° away from normal direction (ND), accounting for more than 50 %. Especially, the recrystallization texture of the FG sample is a “Rare Earth texture”, in contrast to the widely reported texture modification unrelated to grain boundary nucleation. Only a scattered basal texture is observed in the CG sample, which also differs from the reported “Rare Earth texture” originating from shear band nucleation in dilute Mg–Gd alloys. Finally, based on the Johnson–Mehl–Avrami–Kolmogorov (JMAK) model, the recrystallization kinetics are calculated, and it is found that the initial grain size mainly affects the nucleation rate, and has limited effect on the grain growth rate.

Deformation mechanism of high ductility Mg-Gd-Mn alloy during tensile process

In this research, a high ductility Mg-Gd-Mn magnesium alloy was designed and developed, with an elongation capability surpassing 50%. To gain insights into the underlying mechanism behind the high ductility of the Mg-2Gd-0.5Mn alloy, quasi-in-situ electron backscattered diffraction and two-beam diffraction were conducted. The results reveal that the Mg-Gd-Mn alloy exhibits a distinct rare-earth texture, and the activation of non-basal slip systems is evident from the clear observation of non-basal slip traces during the later stages of deformation. However, the primary deformation mechanisms in Mg-Gd-Mn alloy remain basal <a> slip and {10–12} tensile twinning, and the remarkable ductility observed in Mg-Gd-Mn alloys can be attributed to the softening of non-basal slip modes, which leads to a coordinated deformation between various modes of deformation. To further validate this conclusion, an analysis was conducted using a visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) model to investigate the relative activity of basal and non-basal slip in Mg-Gd-Mn alloys. The obtained results align well with experimental observations, providing additional support for the hypothesis.

Effect of Annealing Parameters on Microstructure and Rare Earth Texture of Extruded Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr Alloy during Alternate Aging-Annealing Process

Effect of Annealing Parameters on Microstructure and Rare Earth Texture of Extruded Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr Alloy during Alternate Aging-Annealing Process

Quantitative investigation on the {10–12} twinning-detwinning behavior and twinning transfer of an extruded Mg-2.8Y sheet during compression-tension loading via quasi-in-situ EBSD observation

Abundant {10–12} twins appeared in an extruded Mg-2.8Y (wt. %) sheet with rare-earth (RE) texture under compression along the transverse direction (TD). Twinning-detwinning behavior during compression-tension loading was quantitatively investigated via quasi-in-situ EBSD observation. The evolution of deformation mechanisms was quantitatively studied by calculation of the plastic strain fraction of twinning, detwinning, and dislocation slip. Twinning and detwinning were the dominant deformation modes in compression and reverse tension, respectively, owing to their relatively higher Schmid factors (SF) and lowest activation stresses (τ). Twin variants with SF ranking 1st and 2nd were activated preferentially while detwinning with low SF ranking showed high activation. The impact of texture and load path on variant selection was systematically discussed. Moreover, short twin chains only passing through two or three grains caused by twinning transfer were observed. Grain boundary misorientation angle (GBMA) and geometric compatibility factor (m’) were introduced to analyze the crystallographic characteristics of twinning transfer. GBMA ≤34.5° or m’ ≥ 0.80 is a necessary condition for most twinning transfer events. RE texture as well as the nearly uniform distribution of GBMA gave rise to short twin chains and restricted the formation of long twin bands. The relationship between GBMA and m’ was also discussed.

Uncovering of the formation of rare earth texture and pseudo fiber bimodal microstructure in the high ductility Mg-2Gd-0.4Zr alloy during extrusion

The aim of this research was to elucidate the underlying mechanism involved in the formation of rare earth (RE) texture and pseudo fiber bimodal microstructure in the high ductility Mg-2Gd-0.4Zr alloy. The microstructure and texture evolution during the extrusion process were analyzed using various techniques, including optical microscopy (OM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), and electron probe microanalysis (EPMA). The findings revealed that the RE texture in the extruded Mg-2Gd-0.4Zr alloy emerged during the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) process and was further strengthened during the subsequent static recrystallization and grain growth processes. The nucleation and growth of grains in the streamline region of Zr particles were delayed in comparison to other regions due to the pinning effect of Zr particles, ultimately resulting in the formation of pseudofiber bimodal microstructure in the extruded Mg-2Gd-0.4Zr alloy.

Dynamic and Postdynamic Recrystallization Behavior of GWZ Magnesium Alloy Under Double‐Hit Hot Compression

Herein, dynamic and postdynamic recrystallization behaviors of GWZ magnesium are investigated. Toward this end, the single‐hit and double‐hit hot compression tests are conducted under strain rate of 0.001 s−1 at 400 °C. The prestrains of 0.1 and 0.5 are considered to investigate the effect of interpass time (5–300 s) on the compressive strength level. At the low strain level of 0.1, the contribution of Hall–Petch effect is considerable due to the occurrence of static recrystallization. In addition, the rare earth texture component is eliminated during interpass annealing. This causes increasing the strength of the material during second pass of hot compression. In contrast, at higher imposed strain, the strength level decreases with increasing the interpass time of annealing. The high amount of strain is completely consumed and the remaining stored energy is not high enough to trigger the occurrence of static recrystallization. The occurrence of metadynamic recrystallization and subsequent growth are characterized. In addition, the texture does not change in respect of the intensity or numbers/types of components. Accordingly, the observed decreasing trend of the strength is justified relying on the occurrence grain growth.

Effect of extrusion temperature on microstructure, mechanical properties, and deformation mechanism of Mg-2.5Er-0.6Zr alloy

Different extrusion temperatures (350 °C, 380 °C, 410 °C) were used to forward extrude the cast Mg-2.5Er-0.6Zr (wt.%) alloy. The effects of extrusion temperature on the microstructure, mechanical properties, deformation texture and extrusion deformation mechanism of Mg-2.5Er-0.6Zr alloy were studied by OM, SEM, room temperature tensile test, EBSD and IGMA analysis. The results show that the cast alloy has coarse grains and exhibits random texture characteristics. After extrusion, the alloy underwent dynamic recrystallization (DRX), and the equiaxed grains were refined, forming a special rare earth texture, and the mechanical properties of the alloy were greatly improved. In the temperature range of 380 °C–410 °C, with the increase of extrusion temperature, the alloy grain coarsing, strength and plasticity gradually decrease, but it is still much higher than the cast alloy. Under the combined influence of fine grain strengthening, texture weakening and diversified plastic deformation modes, the comprehensive mechanical properties of extruded Mg-2.5Er-0.6Zr alloy are the best at 380 °C, and its ultimate tensile strength, tensile yield strength and elongation are 218.7 MPa, 184.2 MPa and 44.1%, respectively.

Novel RE-texture component and bimodal microstructure formation during post-annealing of an accumulative back extruded WE43 alloy

This study offers a new approach to attain recrystallized textures with rare-earth (RE) texture components through post-annealing of accumulative back extruded microstructures. It was found that annealing of deformed microstructures at 400 °C for 30 min can lead to a homogeneous microstructure with RE texture components formed upon precipitation of rE-rich particles and further stimulation of new grains nucleation. Further increasing the annealing time to 240 min (or increasing temperature to 450 °C) resulted in vanishing of RE-texture component and a significant rise in the texture intensity.

Microstructures, mechanical properties, corrosion, and biocompatibility of extruded Mg-Zr-Sr-Ho alloys for biodegradable implant applications

In this study, the microstructures, mechanical properties, corrosion behaviors, and biocompatibility of extruded magnesium-zirconium-strontium-holmium (Mg–Zr–Sr–Ho) alloys were comprehensively investigated. The effect of different concentrations of Ho on the microstructural characteristics, tensile and compressive properties, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility were investigated. The microstructures of the extruded Mg-1Zr-0.5Sr-xHo (x = 0.5, 1.5, and 4 wt.%) alloys consisted of α-Mg matrix, fine α‒Zr particles, and intermetallic phase particles of Mg17Sr2 and Ho2Mg mainly distributed at the grain boundaries. Extensive {101¯2} tensile twins were observed in the partially recrystallized samples of Mg-1Zr-0.5Sr-0.5Ho and Mg-1Zr-0.5Sr-1.5Ho. Further addition of Ho to 4 wt.% resulted in a complete recrystallization due to activation of the particle stimulated nucleation around the Mg17Sr2 particles. The evolution of a rare earth (RE) texture was observed with the Ho addition, which resulted in the weakened basal and prismatic textures. Furthermore, a drastic increase of 200% in tensile elongation and 89% in compressive strain was observed with Ho addition increased from 0.5 to 4 wt%, respectively. The tension–compression yield asymmetry was significantly decreased from 0.62 for Mg-1Zr-0.5Sr-0.5Ho to 0.98 for Mg-1Zr-0.5Sr-4Ho due to the weakening of textures. Corrosion analysis of the extruded Mg–Zr–Sr–Ho alloys revealed the presence of pitting corrosion. A minimum corrosion rate of 4.98 mm y−1 was observed in Mg-1Zr-0.5Sr-0.5Ho alloy. The enhanced corrosion resistance is observed due to the presence of Ho2O3 in the surface film which reduced galvanic effect. The formation of a stabilized surface film due to the Ho2O3 was confirmed through the electrical impedance spectroscopy and XPS analysis. An in vitro cytotoxicity assessment revealed good biocompatibility and cell adhesion in relation to SaOS2 cells.

Variation in bending deformation behavior and improvement in bendability of extruded pure Mg through Gd addition

In this study, the twinning and slip behaviors of pure Mg and Mg–1Gd extrudates during bending deformation are investigated by subjecting the extrudates to three-point bending tests. The pure Mg extrudate has a coarse grain structure with a strong basal texture. The Mg–1Gd extrudate has a uniform and fine grain structure with a typical rare-earth (RE) texture because the added Gd causes the suppression of grain-boundary migration and the textural tilting during extrusion. When bending deformation is imposed, cracks are formed in the lower region (tension zone (TZ)) of the bending specimens of both extrudates. However, the bending yield strength and failure bending strain of the Mg–1Gd extrudate are 56% and 68% higher than those of the pure Mg extrudate, respectively. Both the extrudates exhibit similar deformation behaviors in the upper region of the bending specimens, in which {10–12} twinning is activated in most grains. However, because the activation stress for {10–12} twinning is lower in the pure Mg extrudate, its bending yield strength is lower than that of the Mg–1Gd extrudate. In the TZs of both the extrudates, a small amount of {10–12} twinning is caused by the minor tensile stress imposed along the width direction, and the dislocation slip is predominantly caused by the major tensile stress imposed along the longitudinal direction. In the TZ of the pure Mg extrudate, slip is activated to a limited extent during bending because of its strong basal texture, which is unfavorable for basal slip. In contrast, in the TZ of the Mg–1Gd extrudate, basal slip vigorously occurs owing to its RE texture. Furthermore, nonbasal slip also occurs because Gd addition reduces the difference between the critical resolved shear stresses of basal slip and nonbasal slip. Consequently, the bendability of the Mg–1Gd extrudate improves through the effective accommodation of the longitudinal tensile strain in the TZ during bending.

Enhancing mechanical properties of Mg-Gd-Y-Zn alloys via microalloying with Ce and La

This study investigated the microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-1Gd-1Y-1Zn (at.%) alloys containing designed amounts of Ce or La. The Mg&lt;sub&gt;5&lt;/sub&gt;(Gd,Zn) phase formed in the as-cast Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Ce/La alloys and disappeared after a homogenization treatment at 500°C for 24 h. The addition of Ce and La resulted in the formation of Ce(Mg,Zn)&lt;sub&gt;12&lt;/sub&gt; and La(Mg,Zn)&lt;sub&gt;12&lt;/sub&gt; phases, respectively. Except for that, the Ce or La addition had no significant effect on the morphology, volume fraction, and type of the long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phases in the Mg-Gd-Y-Zn alloy. The grain size decreased with increasing microalloying content because the heavy Ce and La atoms impeded atomic migration across the boundaries. The solute drag effect led to the formation of the rare earth texture in the extruded Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Ce/La alloys, whose extent decreased with increasing microalloying content. The mechanical strength was improved by the addition of Ce or La at the sacrifice of ductility. In particular, La exhibited a stronger reinforcement ability than Ce when it was added to the Mg-Gd-Y-Zn alloys. Among the investigated chemical compositions, the Mg-1Gd-1Y-1Zn-0.3La alloy exhibited the highest strength because it had the finest grains, the highest volume fraction of the second phase, and the weakest texture intensity. Furthermore, the alloys showed an unusual yield asymmetry due to the difference in the deformation mode of the LPSO phase.

Effect of extrusion parameters on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg-0.12Ca-0.08Ba alloy

By designing several extrusion parameters, the Mg-0.12Ca-0.08Ba (wt%) alloy with dilute alloy content was processed, the microstructure and tensile property of alloys have been reasonably examined by means of electron backscattered diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The results demonstrate the grains of Mg-0.12Ca-0.08Ba alloys are refined after extrusion, and the alloys form uniform dynamic recrystallized grains. There are two different types of texture components in the extruded alloy, rare earth texture and extruded fiber texture, which crystallographic orientation is < 112>∥ED and <100>∥ED, respectively. This “rare earth texture” component was found to be suppressed at high extrusion temperatures. The extrudants at 380 °C exhibits the best performance, its yield strength (YS) and ultimate tensile strength (UTS) are 197 MPa and 252 MPa, respectively, and the elongation-to-fracture (EL) is 33.1%. The plastic enhancement after extrusion mainly comes from grain refinement and texture weakening in the alloys.

Anisotropic cyclic deformation behavior of an extruded Mg-3Y alloy sheet with rare earth texture

Mg-RE (magnesium-rare earth) alloys exhibit pronounced in-plane anisotropy of mechanical response under quasi-static monotonic loading resulting from the RE texture, as extensively reported. In this work, an obvious in-plane anisotropy of cyclic deformation behavior was observed in an extruded Mg-3Y alloy sheet during strain-controlled tension-compression low-cycle fatigue (LCF) at room temperature. The extrusion direction (ED) samples displayed better fatigue resistance with almost symmetrical hysteresis loops and longer fatigue life compared with the transverse direction (TD) samples. The influences of texture on the deformation modes, cracking modes, and mechanical behavior of Mg-Y alloy sheets under cyclic loading were studied quantitatively and statistically. The activation of various slip/twinning-detwinning systems was measured at desired fatigue stages via EBSD observations together with in-grain misorientation axes (IGMA) analysis. The results indicate that the activation of deformation modes in the TD sample was featured by the cyclic transition, i.e., prismatic slip (at the tensile interval) →{10–12}tension twinning (at the compressive reversal) → detwinning + prismatic slip (at the re-tensile reversal). In the case of the ED sample, the cyclic deformation was dominated by the basal slip throughout the fatigue life. For cracking modes, intergranular cracking and persistent slip bands (PSB) cracking were the primary cracking modes in the ED sample while the TD sample showed a high tendency of {10–12} tension twinning cracking (TTW cracking). The underlying mechanisms influencing the activation of various slip/twinning-detwinning systems, as well as cracking modes and cyclic mechanical behavior, were discussed.

Effect of second phase particles on the microstructure and texture of rare earth elements containing magnesium matrix surface-composite produced by friction stir processing

The present research clarifies the texture and microstructure evolution of a rare earth (RE) containing magnesium composite reinforced by SiC particles (Mg-RE/SiC) during friction stir processing. Rotating tool induced mechanical stirring and frictional heat lead to occurrence of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) and development of the strong basal texture component. The presence of second phase particles in the matrix could stimulate the occurrence of continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) and particle stimulated nucleation (PSN) and postpone discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX). The presentation of crystallographic orientations in an appropriate reference frame indicated formation of a new rare earth texture (RE-texture) component, near the <11-24>//shear plane normal (SPN) and <20-21>-<11-21>//shear direction (SD) orientations. This texture component was developed through simultaneous activity of basal and non-basal slip systems during dynamic recrystallization.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of a hot-extruded Mg−8Zn−6Al−1Gd (wt%) alloy

Microstructural evolution and mechanical properties of a Mg−8Zn−6Al−1Gd (wt%) alloy were thoroughly investigated in this work. The results indicate that the dominant intermetallic phases in the as-cast sample are ϕ-Al2Mg5Zn2, τ-Mg32(Al,Zn)49, i-Mg44Al15Zn41 and Al2Gd phases and almost free Gd was detected in the former three phases. After extrusion, the sample has a fully recrystallized microstructure with the average grain size being ~1.5 µm, and exhibits a weak rare earth texture. Additionally, fine particles were approximately homogeneously dispersed in the fine-grained structure. Most of them are quasicrystal phase (i-phase) but have no identical orientation relationship with Mg matrix regardless of whether they distribute at grain boundaries or inside grains. Finally, the as-extruded sample exhibits good strength-ductility balance in both tension and compression and simultaneously has a slight reverse tension/compression asymmetry. Microstructural observations indicate that the excellent mechanical performance of the studied alloy is highly related to its fine grains, weak RE texture, and numerous homogeneously distributed fine particles.

Effect of heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of a multidirectionally forged Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr-Ag alloy

Multidirectional forging (MDF) was successfully applied to fabricate large-size Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr-Ag alloy in this work and effects of T4, T5 and T6 treatments on the microstructure and mechanical properties of the as-forged alloy were analyzed. Results show that dynamic recrystallization (DRX) occurs and second phase particles precipitate along the grain boundary during the MDF process. After annealing treatment (T4), the volume fraction and size of dynamic precipitates slightly increase at a lower temperature (430 °C) compared with those of MDFed sample, while they are dissolved into the α-Mg matrix at a higher temperature (450 °C). At the meantime, short plate-shaped long-period stacking ordered (LPSO) phases are observed in the DRX grains of the MDFed sample and then dissolved into the α-Mg matrix during annealing at both temperatures. Typical basal texture is identified in the MDFed sample, but the basal pole tilts away from final forging direction and rare-earth texture component with <112¯1> orientation parallel to penultimate forging direction becomes visible after annealing. The T6 sample annealing at 430 °C for 4 h and ageing at 200 °C for 34 h exhibits the superior strength and ductility in this study. The ultimate tensile strength, tensile yield strength and elongation to failure, which is 455 MPa, 308 MPa and 7.7%, respectively, are overall improved compared with the directly-aged (T5) sample. This paper provides a superior heat treatment schedule to manufacture high-performance large-scale Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr-Ag components for industrial production.