Phase transformations in QE22 Mg alloy

The precipitation sequence in a QE22 Mg alloy is followed by differential scanning calorimetry, microhardness, electrical resistivity, positron annihilation spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) observations, after different thermal treatments. The decomposition of the supersaturated solid solution occurs via the formation of nanosized coherent structures (GP zones) followed by the co-precipitation of two metastable phases responsible for the peak ageing condition. The stable phase (Mg, Ag)(12)Nd appears at the highest annealing times, leading to over-ageing and hardness reduction. TEM observations provide information on the crystallographic structure of the forming phases, allowing some inconsistencies present in the literature to be clarified. Activation energies are derived from both calorimetric and resistometric measurements at different scanning rates. (C) 2009 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.