Achieving High Ductility in Hot-Rolled Mg-xZn-0.2Ca-0.2Ce Sheet by Zn Addition

The mechanical behavior of hot-rolled Mg-xZn-0.2Ca-0.2Ce (x = 0.5 wt.%, 1.0 wt.%, 1.5 wt.%, 2.0 wt.%) was studied by the uniaxial tension test. Meanwhile, the microstructure and texture were analyzed using an optical microscope, x-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscope. The sheets exhibited a bimodal basal texture along the transverse direction (TD). Zn addition led to an increase of the TD tilted texture component and a reduction of the rolling direction tilted texture component. However, the yield strengths were not always increasing when the amount of Zn increased, which was related to the solid solution softening and unique texture distribution. The best ductility and formability were obtained in Mg-1.5Zn-0.2Ca-0.2Ce alloy with fracture elongation of similar to 42.1% and Erichsen value of 7.7 mm. The enhanced plasticity and formability were owing to the modified texture, non-basal slips and enhanced grain boundary cohesion.