The quasi-static mechanical properties of extruded binary Mg–Er alloys

The binary Mg–Er alloys with respective concentration of 2.0 wt%Er, 4.0 wt%Er and 6.0 wt%Er were prepared via extruding and annealing, and their quasi-static mechanical properties were investigated. It was found that after complete recrystallization, the “Rear Earth-texture” (RE-texture) develops with Er incremental addition. Under both the tensile and compressive loadings, Mg–4.0 wt%Er and Mg–6.0 wt%Er alloys had flow stresses lower than that of Mg–2.0 wt%Er alloy. However, their ductility was higher than that of Mg–2.0 wt%Er alloy. The elongation and reduction of Mg–6.0 wt%Er alloy reached to 29.4% and 42.3%, respectively, much higher than the usual elongation and reduction of pure magnesium. The dependence of the mechanical properties on Er addition could be interpreted by the RE-texture development and the reduction of the c/a axial ratio allowing for the activation of the additional plastic deformation modes.