Recent developments in rare-earth free wrought magnesium alloys having high strength: A review

To further expand industrial application of Magnesium alloys, developments of the low-cost, Rare-Earth free Magnesium alloys with high strength were strongly desired. In this review, recent researches on the Rare-Earth free Magnesium alloys will be critically reviewed from the viewpoint of the novel alloying designs, e.g. Magnesium-Zinc, Magnesium-Tin and Magnesium-Calcium systems, and advanced processing technologies to summarize the experimental progresses in pursuing high strength. Considering the large strength gap between the current Rare-Earth free Magnesium alloys and state-of-the-art Magnesium-Rare-Earth alloy or high strength Aluminum alloy, the new strengthening mechanism, such as the solute clustering which was recently observed in Magnesium-Rare-Earth alloys and the other Rare-Earth-free Magnesium systems, was suggested. Accordingly, the new alloy design and processing routes, and also the future research directions for Rare-Earth-free Magnesium alloys would be proposed. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.