Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Electromagnetic Shielding Effectiveness of Mg-Y-Zr-Nd Alloy

The as-cast Mg-Y-Zr-xNd alloys with different Nd contents were prepared, and the effects of Nd content on microstructure, mechanical properties and electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding properties were investigated. The results show that the grain sizes are refined from 70.1 μm to 45.2 μm, discontinuous bone-shaped β phases are formed mostly in the triple junction of grain boundaries when the content of Nd increases to 2.63 wt%. The mechanical properties and EMI shielding capacity are both enhanced significantly by adding Nd element. The alloy with 2.63 wt% Nd has a good combination of mechanical properties and EMI properties. T6 heat treatment is able to further improve the EMI shielding effectiveness. The above-mentioned experiment results are attributed to the microstructural variation caused by adding different contents of Nd.