| Abstract Scope |
Magnesium rare earth (Mg-RE) alloys are promising lightweight structural materials due to their high specific strength and potential for improved mechanical performance. Their applications in automotive, aerospace, and electronic industries are limited by its hexagonal close-packed (HCP) lattice structure of magnesium, which provides only a few slip systems and restricts plastic deformation. This study investigates the relationship between processing and mechanical properties in the Mg-2Zn-2Gd alloy, with the goal of enhancing both strength and ductility through a multiaxial forging processing (MAF).
Mechanical testing across multiple scales, including macrohardness, microhardness, and nanoindentation, was conducted on samples prepared through the different processing states: as-cast, as-cast + annealed, single-pass MAF, and two-pass MAF. The results show trends of increased hardness and strength due to continued deformation, while annealing promoted recovery and partial softening. Nanoindentation data provided additional insight into localized mechanical behavior and supported the observed macroscale trends. |