Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Deformation Behavior of Mg–Gd–Zn Alloy

We describe here the microstructure, mechanical properties and deformation behavior of an ultrafine-grained (UFG) Gd and Zn-containing magnesium alloy that was characterized by high strength-high ductility combination. The deformation behavior was studied by nanoindentation and post-mortem electron microscopy analysis of the deformed region. The behavior is compared with low strength-low ductility coarse-grained (CG) counterpart. Extensive dislocation slip was an active deformation mechanism in the UFG alloy, while in contrast, mechanical twinning occurred in the CG alloy. We attribute these observed differences in the deformation mechanism to the grain size effect.