A high-strength Mg-15.3Gd-l.8Ag-0.3Zr （GQ152K, mass fraction） alloy was prepared by conventional ingot metallurgy process. The solution and aging （denoted as T6） treated alloy exhibits remarkable mechanical properties with ultimate tensile strength of 421 MPa and tensile yield strength of 309 MPa. It has higher igniting temperature of 1 208 K. Moreover, it can stand against flame at 1 203 K for over 6 min in vertical burning tests, and its flammability behavior is very similar to that of 6101A1 alloy. Vertical burning tests appear to be able to directly study the flammability behavior of Mg alloys and it appears to be a good approach to study the flammability behavior of Mg alloys in an aircraft fire accident.
As most Mg alloy products are now produced by a casting process,the development of high strength cast Mg alloys can promote their further applications and has already become one of the hot research areas of Mg alloys.The present paper reviews the strengthening mechanisms,tensile properties and modification results of commercial high strength cast Mg alloys;as well as the development of Mg-Gd,Mg-Nd and Mg-Sn based alloys.It concludes that precipitation strengthening is the most important strengthening mechanism in high strength cast Mg alloys,which contributes more than 60%of yield strength in solution&peak-aged(T6)cast Mg alloys.For the yield strength,the alloys follow the sequence of Mg-Gd(Y)-Ag>Mg-Gd(Y)-Zn>Mg-Gd-Y/Sm/Nd>Mg-Y-Nd(WE series)>ZK61>Mg-Nd>AZ91>Mg-Sn.Mg-Gd(Y)-Ag based alloys are the strongest cast Mg alloys at present,followed by Mg-Gd(Y)-Zn based alloys.The high yield strengths of Mg-Gd(Y)-Ag and Mg-Gd(Y)-Zn cast alloys are due to the co-precipitation of basal and prismatic meta-stable phases.
Fu PenghuaiPeng LimingJiang HaiyanDing WenjiangZhai Chunquan
