Effect of rare-earth element additions on high-temperature mechanical properties of AZ91 magnesium alloy

The present article focuses on the high-temperature mechanical properties of the magnesium alloy AZ91. The addition of rare-earth (RE) elements up to 2 wt pct improves both yield and tensile strengths at 140 °C by replacing the Mg17Al12 phase with RE-containing intermetallic compounds. This intermetallic phase is thermally and metallurgically stable and is expected to boost the grain-boundary strengthening. It also increases the resistance of grain boundaries to flow at high temperatures. Further increases of RE additions reduce strength and ductility due to growth of the Al11RE3 brittle phase, which has sharp edges. Still, at a 3 wt pct RE addition, the strength of the alloy at high temperatures is more than that of AZ91.