A thermodynamic approach to the precipitation hardening of magnesium alloy with high formability

The poor formability of magnesium alloys at room temperature remains an obstacle to their wider application in industry. In a previous study, the present authors' group optimized the composition of a Mg-Zn-Ca alloy, achieving high ductility and formability, using an atomistic simulation, and the alloy showed high ductility and formability but low strength. Since magnesium alloy is a structural material, reasonable strength is required and precipitation hardening can be an effective way to improve strength. Important here is that the alloying added for precipitation hardening should not have a harmful effect on the carefully optimized ductility and formability. A thermodynamic calculation was performed to select the suitable alloying elements for precipitation hardening and to determine their optimum composition. This study suggests a new alloy design technique to improve strength without disturbing the well-optimized ductility and formability, together with experimental verification.

Automated summary

The poor formability of magnesium alloys at room temperature hinders their widespread industrial application. This study optimized the composition of a Mg-Zn-Ca alloy using atomistic simulation, achieving high ductility and formability but low strength. By performing thermodynamic calculations, suitable alloying elements were selected for precipitation hardening without compromising ductility and formability. This research introduces a new alloy design technique to improve strength while preserving optimized ductility and formability, with experimental validation.