Textures and Mechanical Properties of Extruded Mg Alloys Containing Rare-earth Elements

Magnesium alloys are appealing materials for their low density and high specific strength. However, conventional Mg alloys tend to form a strong basal texture during the extrusion or post-extrusion annealing process, resulting in low ductility and pronounced tension- compression yield asymmetry at room temperature. It is now well established that additions of rare-earth (RE) elements to Mg can weaken the basal texture and promote the formation of non-basal textures, which improve the ductility and reduce the tension-compression yield asymmetry. This project aims to study the microstructures and mechanical properties of Mg-Mn and Mg-Zr alloys with different RE additions, with a view to understanding the potential for improved ductility and minimised tension-compression yield asymmetry.