Regulating Precipitates by Simple Cold Deformations to 

Strengthen Mg Alloys: A Review

Bo Song ^1,*,Jia She ²,Ning Guo ¹,Risheng Qiu ²,Hucheng Pan ^3,*,Linjiang Chai ⁴,Changlin Yang ⁵,Shengfeng Guo ¹ andRenlong Xin ^2,*

¹School of Materials and Energy, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China

²College of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China

³Key Laboratory for Anisotropy and Texture of Materials (Ministry of Education), College of Materials Science and Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang 110819, China

⁴College of Materials Science and Engineering, Chongqing University of Technology, Chongqing 400054, China

⁵State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an 710072, China

Abstract

Regulating precipitates is still an important issue in the development of high-strength Mg alloys, due to it determining the precipitation hardening effect. Cold deformation, as a simple and low-cost method, can remarkably influence the precipitate features. It is found that pre-cold deformation before aging can be utilized to enhance the precipitation hardening effect of Mg alloys. Moreover, post-deformation after aging could be an effective method to regulate precipitation orientation. In this review, recent research on the regulation of precipitation behavior by cold deformation in Mg-Al, Mg-Zn, and Mg-RE (RE: rare-earth elements) alloy systems was critically reviewed. The changes in precipitate features and mechanical properties of peak-aged Mg alloys via cold deformation were summarized. The corresponding strengthening mechanisms were also discussed. Finally, further research directions in this field were proposed.

https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/12/16/2507