Modulating the microstructure of β′ phase in Mg-Nd alloys: A phase-field study
- 1School of Materials Science and Engineering, MOE jointly Collaborative Innovation Center for High-Performance Al/Mg Based Materials, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Intelligent Casting and Advanced Forming for New Materials, North University of China, Taiyuan 030051, China
- 2School of Materials Science and Engineering, Taiyuan University of Science and Technology, Taiyuan 030024, China
- 3Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Materials Genome Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China
Abstract
Applying external stress during aging can effectively regulate the precipitation process in magnesium alloys, thereby influencing their strength-ductility synergy. In this work, a three-dimensional phase-field model coupled with external loading was employed to quantitatively investigate the precipitation behavior of β′ phase in Mg–0.5 at.% Nd alloys under various stress conditions. The simulation results accurately predicted the habit planes and growth directions of the three variants of β′ phase, showing good agreement with experimental observations. It was found that compressive stress along the 〈0001〉 α direction (CSA1) and tensile stresses along the 〈 11 2 ¯ 0 〉 α and 〈 1 1 ¯ 00 〉 α directions (TSA2, TSA3) promoted the cooperative growth of all three variants. In contrast, shear stress applied to the {0001} α basal plane favored the preferential growth of only one variant, leading to a pronounced orientation effect. This phenomenon was well explained by introducing the interaction energy under applied stress. Furthermore, the strengthening contribution under different stress conditions was quantified based on the Orowan mechanism, and the loading mode corresponding to the optimal mechanical properties was identified. This study reveals the underlying mechanism of external stress in modulating precipitation behavior and provides theoretical guidance for the design of stress-assisted aging processes for high-performance Mg–Nd alloys.
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BibTeX
@article{wang2026modulating,
title = {{Modulating the microstructure of β′ phase in Mg-Nd alloys: A phase-field study}},
author = {Kaile Wang and Wenkui Yang and Pengya Lei and Hua Hou and Yuhong Zhao},
journal = {Journal of Magnesium and Alloys},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1016/j.jma.2026.102163},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jma.2026.102163},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Modulating the microstructure of β′ phase in Mg-Nd alloys: A phase-field study
AU - Kaile Wang
AU - Wenkui Yang
AU - Pengya Lei
AU - Hua Hou
AU - Yuhong Zhao
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/16
JO - Journal of Magnesium and Alloys
DO - 10.1016/j.jma.2026.102163
UR - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jma.2026.102163
AB - Applying external stress during aging can effectively regulate the precipitation process in magnesium alloys, thereby influencing their strength-ductility synergy. In this work, a three-dimensional phase-field model coupled with external loading was employed to quantitatively investigate the precipitation behavior of β′ phase in Mg–0.5 at.% Nd alloys under various stress conditions. The simulation results accurately predicted the habit planes and growth directions of the three variants of β′ phase, showing good agreement with experimental observations. It was found that compressive stress along the 〈0001〉 α direction (CSA1) and tensile stresses along the 〈 11 2 ¯ 0 〉 α and 〈 1 1 ¯ 00 〉 α directions (TSA2, TSA3) promoted the cooperative growth of all three variants. In contrast, shear stress applied to the {0001} α basal plane favored the preferential growth of only one variant, leading to a pronounced orientation effect. This phenomenon was well explained by introducing the interaction energy under applied stress. Furthermore, the strengthening contribution under different stress conditions was quantified based on the Orowan mechanism, and the loading mode corresponding to the optimal mechanical properties was identified. This study reveals the underlying mechanism of external stress in modulating precipitation behavior and provides theoretical guidance for the design of stress-assisted aging processes for high-performance Mg–Nd alloys.
SN - 2213-9567
ER -