Development of a High Strength Mg-Zn-Y-Zr Wrought Alloy

The effects of Y addition to the Mg-Zn-Y-Zr alloy on the change of the microstructure and the mechanical properties (with the Y content range of 1 to 3 wt%) have been investigated. It shows that when Zn content is constant (5.65wt%), the alloys with Y content between 1.17 and 1.72wt% nearly reach its highest strength. With the composition near the optimums, the extruded Mg-6%Zn-1%Y-Zr alloy shows high strength and excellent ductility. The deformation behavior of this new alloy at high temperature has also been studied. Moreover, the super-long fatigue behavior of the Mg-6%Zn-1%Y-Zr alloy has also been tested, the results show the alloy with a high fatigue strength of about 85-90MPa in the super-long fatigue life regime of 1×109 cycles.