Influence of rare earth addition on texture development during static recrystallization and mechanical behaviour of magnesium alloy sheets

Abstract

The role of rare earth addition on the microstructure and texture during recrystallization of cold rolled sheets is investigated by a comparative study of pure Mg, Mg-3Y and Mg1.5Nd sheets. In pure Mg, nucleation occurs mainly at shear bands which results in a texture weakening. The basal-type texture re-strengthens rapidly during grain growth of the pure Mg sheet. In contrast, in the Mg-RE alloys the weaker texture formed during early recrystallization strage is retained during further annealing due to retarded grain growth. Uni-axial tensile and Erichsen tests show that ductility and sheet formability are significantly improved by addition of rare earth elements.