Cyclic Deformation Behavior of a Rare-Earth Containing Extruded Magnesium Alloy: Effect of Heat Treatment

The present study was aimed at evaluating strain-controlled cyclic deformation behavior of a rare-earth (RE) element containing Mg-10Gd-3Y-0.5Zr (GW103K) alloy in different states (as-extruded, peak-aged (T5), and solution-treated and peak-aged (T6)). The addition of RE elements led to an effective grain refinement and weak texture in the as-extruded alloy. While heat treatment resulted in a grain growth modestly in the T5 state and significantly in the T6 state, a high density of nano-sized and bamboo-leaf/plate-shaped β′ (Mg₇(Gd,Y)) precipitates was observed to distribute uniformly in the α-Mg matrix. The yield strength and ultimate tensile strength, as well as the maximum and minimum peak stresses during cyclic deformation in the T5 and T6 states were significantly higher than those in the as-extruded state. Unlike RE-free extruded Mg alloys, symmetrical hysteresis loops in tension and compression and cyclic stabilization were present in the GW103K alloy in different states. The fatigue life of this alloy in the three conditions, which could be well described by the Coffin–Manson law and Basquin’s equation, was equivalent within the experimental scatter and was longer than that of RE-free extruded Mg alloys. This was predominantly attributed to the presence of the relatively weak texture and the suppression of twinning activities stemming from the fine grain sizes and especially RE-containing β′ precipitates. Fatigue crack was observed to initiate from the specimen surface in all the three alloy states and the initiation site contained some cleavage-like facets after T6 heat treatment. Crack propagation was characterized mainly by the characteristic fatigue striations.