The influence of gadolinium concentration on the twin propagation rate in magnesium alloys

Abstract

Ultra-high-speed camera (UHSC) imaging was used for the study of the influence of gadolinium (Gd) content on the longitudinal growth of twins in Mg-Gd binary alloys. The results clearly indicate that the twin propagation rate is of the order of 101 m/s and slows down with increasing Gd concentration. Concurrent molecular dynamics (MD) simulations reveal that the presence of Gd atoms enhances the formation of stacking faults (SFs), which hinder twin propagation as effectively as twin boundary pinning by Gd solutes. As a result, the twin tip exhibits intermittent motion at the microscopic level.