Superior Properties of Mg-4Y-3RE-Zr Alloy Prepared by Powder Metallurgy

Magnesium alloys are important materials for application in the automotive and aviation industries. During the last few years, the number of possible applications as biodegradable implants in medicine has grown. Mg-RE (rare earth) alloys belong to the most advanced group of products, offering the best combination of mechanical properties and corrosion resistance. Among these materials, WE43 (Mg-Y-Nd) is a very well-known commercial alloy that has been extensively studied for applications at increased temperatures and also in organisms. Although this material has been described, there are still possibilities to improve its properties and subsequently expand its applicability. Powder metallurgy has already been used for the preparation of magnesium alloys with superior mechanical properties and occasionally superior corrosion properties. Therefore, the present paper is oriented toward the preparation of Mg-4Y-3RE-Zr (WE43) alloy by the powder metallurgy technique (WE43-PM) and comparison of the final properties with the product of extrusion of as-cast ingot (WE43-IM). Our processing leads to a partial improvement in the mechanical properties and superior corrosion resistance of WE43-PM. The texture strength of WE43-PM was low, and therefore, anisotropy of mechanical properties was suppressed.