Effect of cerium alloying on microstructure,texture and mechanical properties of magnesium during cold-rolling process

Hot-extrusion and cold-rolling were conducted on Mg-Ce binary alloys to explore the effect of cerium(Ce) on microstructure,texture and mechanical properties of Mg alloys.The addition of Ce results in significant grain refinement both in as-cast and hot-extruded samples.The basal texture is also weakened after extrusion and an inclined basal texture is formed with Ce addition.The strength and elongation of the Mg-Ce alloys are improved simultaneously due to such grain refinement and texture weakening effect.After cold-rolling,plenty of twins are found in the pure Mg and AZ31 plates while grains in the Mg-0.3Ce plate deform more uniformly without lamellar twin structure.Furthermore,Mg-0.3Ce alloys own strong and continuous strain hardening because Ce atoms and Mg-Ce precipitated phases serve as obstacles for dislocation slip.