Effect of Rare Earth Element on Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Mg-Sn-Ca Alloys

In the present work, the effect of Nd addition on microstructure change, precipitation behaviours and mechanical properties, of Mg-5Sn-3Ca based alloys were investigated. With increasing of Nd addition, size of the Mg-Sn-Ca ternary phases with fine needle shape (A-type) was decreased and volume fraction of these phase were increased. As Nd was increase from 0.5, 1.0 and 3.0 wt.%, size and volume fraction of Mg2Sn with coarse needle shape phase (B-type) was decreased. However, in 3.0 wt.% Nd containing alloy, size of these Mg2Sn phase was smaller than that of 0.5 and 1.0 wt% Nd addition alloy and volume fraction of these phase was decreased.