Formability

Creep

Metallurgy

Materials science

Ductility (Earth science)

Microstructure

Journal of Magnesium and Alloys

Nowadays, magnesium (Mg) alloys are promising lightweight structural materials, especially in transportation and aerospace fields, due to their inherent low density and high specific strength. Most of the high-strength Mg alloys exhibit poor formability and ductility at room temperature, which limit their wide applications. However, by proper alloying design and/or delicate microstructural control, some newly developed Mg alloys, including rare-earth (RE) and RE-free ones, show enhanced ductility without significant loss of strength. To identify the critical reasons, recent researches on ductile Mg alloys have been reviewed from the aspects of alloying design strategies and microstructural control via advanced processing technologies. Moreover, some outlooks on enhanced ductility of Mg alloys are suggested, e.g. enhancing the beneficial effect of solute atoms, introducing second phase particles, tailoring bimodal-grained structures, introducing pre-twinning structures, etc. The current research progresses in alloying design and/or novel microstructural control have shed some lights on designing and producing Mg alloys with enhanced ductility.

Alloying design and microstructural control strategies towards developing Mg alloys with enhanced ductility