Increasing heat resistance of a Mg-Sm-Zn alloy via minor gadolinium addition

The addition of minor gadolinium (Gd) into Mg-4Sm-0.6Zn-0.4Zr alloy significantly enhances high-temperature strength and creep resistance, such as a decrease in the minimum creep rate by approximately five times and an increase in the yield strength by around 40 MPa at 200 °C. The presence of Gd results in the co-precipitation of both prismatic β-type and basal γ-type phases during creep, whereas only the basal γ-type phase is present in the Gd-free alloy. The prismatic β-type and basal γ-type phases are oriented perpendicular to each other in space, creating a closed configuration that effectively blocks dislocation motions compared to single basal γ-type precipitates. Therefore, the improved creep resistance in the Gd-enriched alloy is mainly attributed to the co-precipitation of prismatic β-type and γ-type precipitates during creep. Furthermore, rare earth (RE) atoms inherently provide stable solute hardening at high temperatures, which contributes to the increased high-temperature strength. The addition of Gd also enhances grain boundary stability by promoting the formation of more Mg₃RE phases, thereby further enhancing the creep strength. These findings offer insights into the development of highly creep-resistant Mg alloys with low RE concentrations.