Effect of Gd on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Zn-25Al-2.5Si Alloy

The effects of Gd content on the microstructure and mechanical properties of Zn-25Al-2.5Si Alloy were studied.The results show that the grain of the alloy obviously refines with the addition of Gd;the mechanical properties at room temperature and high temperature improve.The tensile strength and microhardness at room temperature improve and those at high temperature gain great improvement.It can result in the increase of tensile strength by 45.6% and micro-hardness by 78.2% at 180℃.The reason is the grain refinement,the nature of Gd itself playing a major role.