Precipitation of prismatic plates in Mg-0.3Ca alloys with In additions

In Mg alloys, prismatic plates are predicted to be more effective for age hardening compared with the basal plates that are commonly observed in Mg-rare earth (RE) or Mg-Ca alloys with Zn. This study reports that a high number density of thin prismatic plates can be precipitated in Mg-0.3Ca alloy by microalloying with In, resulting in an enhanced age-hardening response three times higher than that for the binary alloy. The precipitates are composed of three {1 0 1 0} prismatic planes enriched with Ca and In. (C) 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.