Enhancing the Strength and Ductility in Mg–Zn–Ce Alloy through Achieving High Density Precipitates and Texture Weakening

The microstructure with weak fiber texture and dense precipitates is designed and produced through extrusion and subsequent ageing treatment of Mg–6Zn–0.2Ce (wt%) alloy. Results show that ageing treatment improves the strength of the as-extruded Mg–6Zn–0.2Ce (wt%) alloy and retains the ductility. The peak-aged alloy exhibits a good combination of strength and ductility, which is superior to the commercial Mg alloy. The yield strength and elongation to fracture of the peak-aged Mg–6Zn–0.2Ce (wt%) alloy are 225 MPa and 32.1%, respectively. The strength improvement of the peak-aged alloy is attributed to dense rod-like precipitates, and the superior ductility is mainly due to weaker texture and homogeneous microstructure.