Effects of Sm on Microstructure of Mg-12Gd-2Y-0.5Zr Alloy

Abstract By alloy melting, microstructure analysis and micro-hardness test, the effects of Sm addition on the microstructure of Mg-12Gd-2Y-0.5Zr alloy with solution treatment and aging treatment were investigated. The results showed that the microstructure of the tested alloy consisted of α-Mg matrix, Mg41Sm5, Mg5Gdm, Mg24Y5 and β’ phases, and Sm improved the micro-hardness value of α-Mg matrix attributed to its better solid solution strengthening effect in α-Mg. The micro-hardness of the alloy with Sm increases obviously from HV121.4 to HV134.3 when compared with that of Mg-12Gd-2Y-0.5Zr alloy.