Zr Alloy Sheets Research Articles

Twinning behavior of an extruded Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr alloy sheet under tension and compression

In this study, twinning behaviors of an extruded Mg-4.7Gd-3.4Y-1.2Zn-0.5Zr (wt%) alloy sheet along different directions (ED (extrusion direction), 45°: 45° to ED and TD (transverse direction)) under tension and compression were investigated. The results show that: (i) the twinning frequency of the extruded alloy sheet along different directions shows obvious anisotropy under both tension and compression while demonstrating opposite orders of ED > 45° > TD under tension and TD > 45° > ED under compression. Such anisotropic twinning frequencies are both in accord with their average twinning Schmid factor (TSF) orders. (ii) Under both tension and compression, the twinning variants (TVs) with the highest and the second highest TSF are frequently selected with priority. However, the TV selection law under tension has a certain difference from that of compression, which should be related to the TSF distributions of ortho-TV, meta-TV and para-TV under tension and compression.

Enhanced mechanical properties and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness in Mg‐6Zn‐1Y‐1La‐0.5Zr alloy sheet by hot deformation

Striking a balance between the mechanical properties and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) of Mg alloys stands as a critical concern within the realm of electronics and communications. This study endeavors to optimize the mechanical properties and EMI SE of Mg alloy sheets through a combination of extrusion and rolling (E-R). OM, SEM, XRD, EBSD, and TEM obtained the microstructures of Mg‐6Zn‐1Y‐1La‐0.5Zr alloys under extrusion and different rolling strain treatments, and the effects of the microstructures on the mechanical properties and EMI SE were revealed. The microstructure of the as-extruded Mg‐6Zn‐1Y‐1La‐0.5Zr (abbreviated as ZKL611K) alloy exhibited a distinct bimodal microstructure, with refined dynamically recrystallized (DRXed) grains surrounding coarse unDRXed regions. Subsequent rolling treatments induced a decrease in the aspect ratio of the unDRXed regions, a rapid reduction of DRXed grains, and the accumulation of dislocations within the as-rolled alloy. Statistical analysis of mechanical properties and EMI SE revealed that an optimal balance in the sheets subjected to “extrusion + 37 % rolling reduction”, yield strength (YS) of 319 MPa, ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 375 MPa, and elongation of 12.3 %. Furthermore, the EMI SE ranged from 81 dB to 114 dB within the frequency range of 30–1500 MHz. However, further increments in rolling reduction adversely affected mechanical properties while improving EMI SE. The observed enhancement in mechanical properties can be primarily attributed to the synergistic effects of grain size, second phase, dislocations, low-angle grain boundaries (LAGBs), and texture. Meanwhile, the improved EMI SE can be mainly attributed to the diffuse distribution of the second phase at multiple scales and the modulation of the texture through E-R treatments.

Achieving preeminent bendability in extruded Mg-Gd-Zr alloy sheets by introducing gradient texture and microstructure simultaneously

In this work, preeminent bendability at room temperature is achieved by simultaneously introducing the gradient microstructure and texture along the normal direction (ND) of Mg-4.05Gd-0.57Zr alloy sheets prepared by turned bearing extrusion (TBE). The grain size of the VK-TBE sheet at the top, middle and bottom layers are 4.54 μm, 8.48 μm and 7.84 μm respectively. In addition, the fine-grained layer presents the highest texture deviation angle witch provides this layer with the highest Schmid factor (SF) for basal slip. When this layer is placed at the outer side, the bending angle is promoted by about 99.8% compared with the conventionally extruded sheet. The sample with a thickness of 3 mm is bent to 60° without cracking, revealing an excellent promotion in the bendability. During bending, the combination of high SF for basal slip and fine grains contributes to the elevated plasticity of the outer layer. Furthermore, at the inner region, a lot of twin bands appear in the relatively coarse grains with high SF for tensile twinning, which significantly regulates the strain distribution along the ND. Consequently, the VK-TBE-FG sample exhibits preeminent bendability owing to the cooperative effects of enhanced plasticity of the outer layer and regulated strain distribution.

Inhibition of precipitation structure transformation and enhancement of hardness by trace La addition in Cu-1Cr-0.1Zr alloy sheets

Cu-1Cr-0.1Zr and Cu-1Cr-0.1Zr-0.07La alloy sheets were prepared by the following process: vacuum casting– homogenization treatment– hot forging– solid solution treatment– cold rolling– aging treatment. The effect of trace La on the aging behavior and mechanical properties of Cu-1Cr-0.1Zr alloy was investigated. Compared to the Cu-1Cr-0.1Zr (0La) alloy, the Cu-1Cr-0.1Zr-0.07La (0.07La) alloy exhibited a significant increase in hardness and a slight decrease in electrical conductivity due to larger number of finer and coherent f.c.c Cr-rich precipitates. It was found that trace La can affects the evolution of precipitation phases. The thermodynamics calculation indicates that with La addition, the Cr-rich precipitates were much more inclined to nucleate with f.c.c structure, and the precipitation growth kinetics results indicate that the addition of La can reduce the activation energy of precipitation, promote the precipitation of f.c.c Cr phase and form Cr-poor zones, making it more difficult to form bcc nuclei. Thus, the transformation of nanoscale Cr-rich precipitates from f.c.c structure to bcc structure was inhibited due to trace La addition, causing higher hardness with appropriate conductivity.

Preparation of Mg-6Zn-1Y-0.5Zr alloy sheet with excellent mechanical properties and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness by extrusion plus rolling

Magnesium (Mg) alloy sheets with excellent mechanical properties and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE) have great application prospects. This study investigates the microstructure, mechanical properties, and EMI SE of extruded and rolled Mg-6Zn-1Y-0.5Zr sheets. In the Mg-6Zn-1Y-0.5Zr alloy subjected to extrusion and rolling, the predominant internal second phases are Mg-Zn-Y and MgZn, with the volume fraction of the second phase increasing with cumulative strain. After the extrusion treatment, the average grain size of the Mg-6Zn-1Y-0.5Zr alloy was 2.7 μm. Increasing the rolling reduction to 37% resulted in an average grain size of 5.27 μm, while a rolling reduction to 75% decreased the grain size to 4.06 μm. The Mg-6Zn-1Y-0.5Zr alloys exhibited consistent trends in ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS), and elongation (EL) under extrusion and various rolling strain treatments. These properties showed a relationship with cumulative strain, initially increasing and then decreasing. However, the EMI SE of the Mg-6Zn-1Y-0.5Zr alloy exhibited a positive correlation with cumulative strain. The sheets obtained through a combination of extrusion plus 37% rolling treatment exhibited excellent mechanical properties and EMI SE. The Mg-6Zn-1Y-0.5Zr alloy demonstrated UTS, YS, and EL values of 331.4 MPa, 251.3 MPa, and 18.7%, respectively. The EMI SE in the frequency range of 30–1500 MHz ranged from 79 dB to 113 dB, satisfying the requirements of the electronic information field regarding the mechanical properties and EMI SE of Mg alloy sheets.

Preparation of Mg–6Zn–1La-0.5Zr alloy sheet with excellent mechanical properties and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness by extrusion plus rolling

In the field of specialty electronics and communications, there is a critical demand for magnesium (Mg) alloy sheets that possess exceptional mechanical properties and electromagnetic interference shielding effectiveness (EMI SE). This paper aims to develop a cost-effective and straightforward process for preparing a research proposal that combines excellent mechanical properties and EMI SE. After undergoing extrusion treatment, the Mg–6Zn–1La-0.5Zr alloy demonstrates an apparent bimodal microstructure, with an average grain size of approximately 2.55 μm. Subsequently, following a 37% rolling treatment, the grain size increases to about 5.29 μm. This increase in grain size is attributed to grain growth resulting from holding prior to the multi-pass rolling treatment. Notably, the Mg–6Zn–1La-0.5Zr alloy, subjected to extrusion and 75% rolling treatment, exhibits remarkable mechanical properties and EMI SE, with ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS), and elongation (EL) values of 337.5 MPa, 227.3 MPa, and 12.5%, respectively. Furthermore, the EMI SE ranges from 79 dB to 110 dB within the frequency range of 30–1500 MHz. The exceptional mechanical properties are attributed to the synergistic effects of various strengthening mechanisms, including grain boundary strengthening, second phase strengthening, dislocation strengthening, heterogeneous deformation-induced strengthening, and texture. Similarly, the superior EMI SE is attributed to the alloy's higher electrical conductivity, strong basal texture, and uniformly diffused second phase.

Extraordinary Bending Formability of Mg–2.5Nd–0.5Zn–0.5Zr Alloy Sheet Through Pulsed Current

Extraordinary Bending Formability of Mg–2.5Nd–0.5Zn–0.5Zr Alloy Sheet Through Pulsed Current

Effects of bimodal basal texture on bending stress and microstructure evolution of Mg−2.6Nd−0.55Zn−0.5Zr alloys

AbstractThe extrusion direction (ED) and transverse direction (TD) samples were cut from Mg−2.6Nd− 0.55Zn−0.5Zr alloy sheet, and the effects of bimodal basal texture on the bending stress and microstructure evolution were investigated. Results showed that the ED sample with weak basal texture possessed much lower bending stress than the TD sample. This anisotropy is attributed to the role of different textures on the evolution of deformation mechanisms and microstructures. For the ED sample with weak basal texture, the dominant deformation mechanisms were basal slip in the majority with minor supplement of tension twin in the inner region while basal slip and prismatic slip in the outer region. In comparison, the TD sample with strong basal texture activated more tension twin in the inner region and more prismatic slip in the outer region. The activation of tension twin promoted the development of 〈0002〉//compression direction type texture with the confined ±30° angle range in the inner region and reduced the emergence propensity of high dislocation density and low angle grain boundaries. The massive activation of tension twin allowed the TD sample to maintain a high strain-hardening capacity, which was the fundamental reason for the high bending stress in this sample.

Effects of Ga on microstructure and mechanical properties of HSRRed Mg–Zn–Zr alloys

Effects of Ga alloying on microstructure and mechanical properties of Mg–6Zn–0.6Zr alloys and the mechanism have been explored. In addition to being solidly soluble in the α-Mg matrix, Ga also reacts with Zn and Zr to produce GaZr2 and Ga-riched Mg7Zn3 particles. The formation of these intermetallics consumes solute atoms in the α-Mg matrix which weakens its beneficial effect on the dynamic recrystallisation behaviour of the alloys. The Ga addition reduces both strength and ductility of the Mg–6Zn–0.6Zr alloy sheets produced by high strain rate rolling processing due to the bigger grain size and the decreasing degree of dynamic recrystallisation. The decline in ductility can also be ascribed to the existence of the coarse Ga-riched Mg7Zn3 particles.

Effects of Extrusion Ratio on the Microstructure, Texture and Mechanical Properties of Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr Alloy Sheets

Effects of Extrusion Ratio on the Microstructure, Texture and Mechanical Properties of Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr Alloy Sheets

Unveiling the mechanical response and deformation mechanism of extruded Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy sheet under high-temperature tensile

The microstructure evolution, mechanical response and deformation mechanism of the extruded Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy sheet by high-temperature (423–573 K) tensile were investigated. The results showed that the alloy exhibited excellent high-temperature mechanical properties at 523 K (extrusion direction (ED): ultimate tensile strength (UTS)~191.5 MPa, yield strength (YS)~154.5 MPa, elongation (EL)~30.1%; transverse direction (TD): UTS~190.5 MPa, YS~148.2 MPa, EL~35.2%). The YS of ED and TD of the alloy decreased linearly, and the anisotropy of the alloy decreased gradually (from 0.9261 to 1.009) with the increase of tensile temperature, which was beneficial to the subsequent processing of the alloy. Moreover, the decreased anisotropy was the result of grain size, second phase particles size and texture state. The microstructure showed obvious deformed structures at 423 K and it was gradually replaced by dynamic recrystallization with an average grain size of 3.3–4.2 µm and the texture strength weakened greatly (maximum pole density value reduced from 15.8 to 4.0) as the temperature increased to 573 K. Meanwhile, both the deformation models and the contributions of different deformation mechanisms at different tensile temperatures were roughly estimated. It was found that basal slip was always the main deformation mechanism at different tensile temperatures, but its contribution to deformation decreased with increased tensile temperatures (from 93.0% to 66.6%). With the increase of tensile temperature, the degree of prismatic slip (from 4.1% to 23.2%) and pyramidal slip (from 2.9% to 10.2%) in deformation gradually increased.

Superplastic Forming and Reaction Diffusion Bonding Process of Hollow Structural Component for Mg-Gd-Y-Zn-Zr Rare Earth Magnesium Alloy

This work fabricated a double hollow structural component of Mg-8.3Gd-2.9Y-0.8Zn-0.2Zr alloy by superplastic forming (SPF) and reaction-diffusion bonding (RDB). The superplastic characteristic and mechanical properties of Mg-8.3Gd-2.9Y-0.8Zn-0.2Zr alloy sheets at 250–450 °C were studied. Tensile tests showed that the maximum elongation of tensile specimens was about 1276.3% at 400 °C under a strain rate of 1 × 10−3 s−1. Besides, the effect of bonding temperature and interface roughness on microstructure and mechanical properties of the reaction diffusion-bonded joints with a Cu interlayer was investigated. With the increase of temperature, the diffusion coefficient of Cu increases, and the diffusion transition region becomes wider, leading to tightening bonding of the joint. However, the bonding quality of the joint will deteriorate due to grain size growth at higher temperatures. Shear tests showed that the highest strength of the joints was 152 MPa (joint efficiency = 98.7%), which was performed at 460 °C.

Microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg-6Gd-1Er-0.5Zr alloy sheets produced with different rolling temperatures

In this study, we investigated the microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg-6Gd-1Er-0.5Zr (GE61K) sheets. The results show that the rolling temperature has a remarkable influence on microstructures, age-hardening responses and mechanical properties of GE61K sheets. The microstructures varies with the increase in rolling temperatures, i.e. microstructures were dominated by the mixture of dynamic recrystallized (DRXed) grains and un-DRXed grains at 300 °C, by DRXed grains at 350 °C, and by un-DRXed grains at 400 °C and 450 °C. Rolling at 300 °C leads to a formation of the bimodal microstructure which contains equilibrium Mg5(Gd, Er) precipitates and a large number of dislocations. These dislocations leads to a formation of novel chain-like precipitates which comprise dominant β', β′F (or β′T), tail-like “hexagonal ring” layers, individual “zig-zag” chain and individual “hexagonal ring”, eventually improving age-hardening responses. The chain-like precipitates are beneficial for achieving a good strength-ductility balance by dividing the matrix into nano-scale units and forming subsequent honeycomb structures. As a result, the R-300 °C sheet shows good mechanical properties, i.e. ultimate tensile strength (UTS) of 367 ± 3 MPa, yield strength (YS) of 349 ± 4 MPa and elongation (EL) of 9.1 ± 1.5%, respectively. However, such strength-ductility balance is destroyed sharply as soon as the rolling temperature increases to 400 °C because of the microstructure variations.

Improving the ductility of Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy by multi-pass hot rolling

Fine-grained, high-strength and high-ductility Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy sheets were prepared by multi-pass hot rolling with ultimate tensile strength of 311.9 MPa, yield strength of 272.4 MPa, elongation of 17.1%, and the average grain size of 4.25 μm. After multi-pass hot rolling, all plates showed the characteristics of bimodal rolling direction-tilt texture (with the basal poles tilting at about ±15–20° form normal direction towards rolling direction). With the increase of rolling passes, the basal texture strength decreased gradually, which was 9.5 (1st pass), 7.5 (2nd pass) and 5.4 (3rd pass), respectively. The ductility improvement was the result of the interaction of texture weakening, basal slip and non-basal slip actuation.

Enhanced ductility of Mg–1Zn–0.2Zr alloy with dilute Ca addition achieved by activation of non-basal slip and twinning

Wrought Mg–Zn–Zr alloys with a strong basal texture usually exhibit highly anisotropic plastic behavior, resulting in premature fracture during deformation at room temperature. In the present study, we prepared a Mg–1Zn–0.2Zr (ZK10) alloy sheet by multi-pass hot rolling and annealing, tailoring the basal texture and reducing the plastic anisotropy with the addition of dilute Ca. Microstructural characterizations of the tensile-deformed alloys show that pyramidal <c+a> slip and 101¯2 twinning are more easily formed in the Ca-containing alloy compared with those in the ZK10 alloy. The weakened basal texture involving Ca addition leads to promoted activation of 101¯2 twinning, without significant impact on the Schmid factor distribution of pyramidal <c+a> slip. Simulation results of the visco-plasticity self-consistent model further indicate that Ca reduces the ratio of critical resolved shear stress for pyramidal <c+a> slip and 101¯2 twinning versus basal <a> slip, leading to a significant improvement in ductility. This work may provide a new strategy to develop wrought Mg alloys with enhanced ductility.

Superplastic Flow and Deformation Mechanism of the Rolled Al-Mg-Li-Sc-Zr Alloy with Banded Microstructure

A hot rolled Al-5Mg-2Li-0.2Sc-0.12Zr alloy sheet with an initial banded microstructure was subjected to high-temperature tensile tests in the temperature range of 450–550 °C, at strain rates ranging from 3 × 10−4 to 1 × 10−2 s−1. The microstructural evolution of the present non-ideal superplastic microstructure (banded morphology) was characterized by electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results show that the hot rolled non-ideal superplastic microstructure exhibited excellent superplasticity. The optimal superplastic forming temperature appeared at 500 °C and the largest elongation of 1180% was achieved at 500 °C and 1 × 10−3 s−1. As far as we know, this is the largest elongation for Al-Mg-Li-Sc-Zr alloys. The superplastic deformation of the present hot rolled banded microstructure can be divided into two stages: (i) dynamic globularization due to the dislocation movement and continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX), which is responsible for the plastic deformation in the low strain range; (ii) superplastic flow of the spheroidized equiaxed grains with a high ratio of high-angle grain boundaries (HAGBs) and random grain orientation in the high strain range, during which grain boundary sliding (GBS) plays the dominant role in influencing the superplastic deformation.

Influences of the Texture Characteristic and Interdendritic LPSO Phase Distribution on the Tensile Properties of Mg–Gd–Y–Zn–Zr Sheets Through Hot Rolling

The Mg–Gd–Y–Zn–Zr alloy sheets with different texture characteristics and distribution of the interdendritic long period-stacking ordered (LPSO) phases were fabricated through altering the final rolling reduction (FRR). The results showed that the texture characteristic was closely related to FRR and affected the tensile properties of the resulted sheets to some extent. The Schmid factor (SF) of the basal $$\left\langle a \right\rangle$$ slip improved with further FRR, which was ascribed to that the dynamic recrystallization (DRX) grains expand into the deformed grains with basal texture. However, the improvement of the tensile yield strength (TYS) with further FRR indicates that the strengthening effect from DRX grains surpasses the weakening effect from the elevated SF. The formation of the line-distributed interdendritic 14H-LPSO phases can also affect the tensile properties of the resulted sheets. The line-distributed interdendritic 14H-LPSO phases along rolling direction (RD) can act as reinforcing fiber and contribute to the higher TYS along RD and 45° to some extent, which resulted in the higher TYS along 45° compared with that along transverse direction (TD) for each resulted sheet under the circumstance of approximate basal $$\left\langle a \right\rangle$$ and pyramid $$\left\langle {c + a} \right\rangle$$ friction stress. Thus, the tensile yield strength is not only related to the texture, but also depends on the grain size and line-distributed interdendritic LPSO phases. The micro-cracks spread perpendicular to the tension direction, and thus, the larger cracks form within the line-distributed 14H-LPSO phases during tension along TD, which accounts for the lower fracture elongation along TD.

Microstructures evolution, texture characteristics and mechanical properties of Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy during the high strain rate hot-rolling

The microstructures evolution, texture characteristics and mechanical properties of Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy processed by high strain rate rolling (HSRR) at different temperature were systematically investigated in the current study. The results showed that the initial material was approximately equiaxed grains (23.8 μm) with a large number of divorced eutectic Mg 12 Nd phases precipitated along grain boundaries in a continuous network. After HSRRed, the microstructure was obviously refined, and uniform distributed. The average grain size was refined to 3.63 μm (R673), 2.71 μm (R648) and 2.17 μm (R623), respectively, and corresponding percentage of recrystallization were 46.1%, 49.3% and 63.9%, respectively. R623, R648 presented a strong (0002) basal surface bimodal texture in the RD direction but this texture was in the TD direction in R673, all of which preferential orientation was at 66.3–90° region. An excellent combination of ultimate tensile strength (324 ± 2 MPa), the yield strength (298 ± 3 MPa) and the elongation (6.9 ± 1.5%) were achieved in a fine-grained (2.17 ± 1.17 μm) Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy prepared by HSRR at 623 K. The higher yield strength can be obtained by refinement strengthening, dislocation strengthening, precipitation strengthening and texture strengthening. • Fine-grained alloy sheets with superior properties (298 MPa for tensile yield strength) were achieved by HSRR. • The texture evolution, grain size refining mechanism and strengthening mechanism were analyzed in detail. • Mg-2.5Nd-0.5Zn-0.5Zr alloy sheet was prepared by the high strain rate rolling.

Microstructure, creep behavior and corrosion resistance in the ultrafine-grained surface layer of Mg-6Zn-0.2Y-0.4Ce-0.5Zr alloy processed by surfacing friction treatment

Gradient Mg-6Zn-0.2Y-0.4Ce-0.5Zr alloy sheet, with a nanocrystalline surface layer of 98 nm on the topmost surface, was prepared by sliding friction treatment (SFT). Nanoindentation test used to research the influence of grain refinement on the creep behavior and corresponding deformation behaviors under different range of loading strain rates. It is shown that nano-grained layer exhibits a long creep distance but a peaceful creep behavior, which is mainly attributed to the abundant plastic deformation behaviors after nanocrystallization. The corrosion behavior of SFTed layer and un-SFTed layer was investigated by electrochemical tests and hydrogen evolution in 3.5% solution. The corrosion resistance is improved in the nano-grained layer by the reduction of grain size which promotes the formation of passive film and the rearrangement of second-phase particles which suppresses the corrosion rate. SFT method is an effective way in refining grain size while improving the corrosion resistance.

Microstructure characteristics and mechanical properties of new aerospace Al-Mg-Mn alloys with Al3(Sc1−xZrx) or Al3(Er1−xZrx) nanoparticles

The microstructures and mechanical properties of two new aerospace Al-6.00 Mg-0.40Mn-0.12Zr (wt%) alloy sheets, containing 0.10 wt% Sc (low content) and 0.25 wt% Er(cheap), respectively, were investigated by tensile tests and electron microscopy methods. The results showed that microalloying elements were present in the form of core-shell-structured secondary Al3(Sc1−xZrx) and Al3(Er1−xZrx) nanoparticles, whose cores were enriched in Sc and Er, respectively. Stable core-shell structured nanoparticles enabled the annealed sheets to retain a completely non-recrystallized structure and strong β-fiber rolling textures. The ultimate tensile strength (UTS), yield strength (YS) and elongation to failure (Elf) of the annealed sheets reached 422 ± 1 MPa, 312 ± 6 MPa, and 20.7 ± 1.5% in the Al-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy, and 404 ± 5 MPa, 283 ± 7 MPa, and 24.2 ± 0.9% in the Al-Mg-Mn-Er-Zr alloy, respectively, both exhibiting high strength and superior ductility. The mean diameters of the spheroidal Al3(Sc1−xZrx) and Al3(Er1−xZrx) particles were 12.1 ± 4.2 nm and 20.2 ± 8.4 nm, respectively, meantime, the number densities of the Al3(Sc1−xZrx) and Al3(Er1−xZrx) precipitates were (7.7 ± 3.2) × 1013 m2 and (6.4 ± 1.9) × 1012 m2. The higher number density and the smaller particle sizes of the Al3(Sc1−xZrx) leaded to the higher strength of the Al-Mg-Mn-Sc-Zr alloy. The main strengthening mechanisms from the secondary Al3(Sc1−xZrx)/Al3(Er1−xZrx) nanoparticles were associated with the direct Orowan precipitation strengthening and sub-structure strengthening. Based on the results of this paper, enhanced mechanical properties and a reduced cost can be simultaneously achieved with the new Al-Mg-Mn-Zr alloys with low Sc contents or inexpensive Er addition, offering great potential for the development of new high-strength micro-alloyed AlMg alloys in industrial applications.