The influence of Sr on the microstructure and texture evolution of rolled Mg–1%Zn alloy

In this study, the microstructure and texture of rolled and rolled/annealed alloys based on Mg–1 wt.%Zn and containing various levels of Sr (from 0.1 to 1.0 wt.%) were investigated. The Sr addition refined the as-cast and rolled/annealed grain structure of the Mg–1 wt.%Zn alloy. The grain refining effect of Sr is more pronounced at the lower levels of Sr than at the higher level. The as-rolled Z1 and ZJ alloys exhibit heavily deformed structures. The density of shear bands in as-rolled appears to decrease with an increase in the Sr content. Moreover, the overall texture intensity of basal poles was weakened for rolled as well as rolled/annealed Mg–Zn–Sr (ZJ) alloys compared to the Mg–1 wt.%Zn (Z1) alloy. It is noted that Sr additions expand the basal poles more in the transverse direction. The texture weakening was attributed to the particle stimulated nucleation (PSN).