Dominant Deformation Mechanisms in Mg-Zn-Ca Alloy

The coaddition of Zn and Ca has great potential to improve the ductility of Mg alloys. Herein, the mechanical properties of an extruded Mg-Zn-Ca solid-solution alloy were studied by quasi-in situ electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)-assisted slip trace analysis. The dominant deformation mechanisms of the Mg-Zn-Ca alloy were studied, and the origins of enhanced ductility were systematically revealed. The results indicate that most grains deformed by basal slip. In addition, multiple non-basal slip traces were detected (particularly prismatic, pyramidal I <  a > , and pyramidal I <  c +  a > slip traces), and their activation frequency was promoted with increasing tensile strain. The enhanced participation of non-basal slip systems is believed to play a critical role in achieving homogeneous plastic deformation, thus effectively promoting the ductility of the Mg-Zn-Ca alloy. Furthermore, first-principle calculations revealed that the coaddition of Zn and Ca significantly reduces the unstable stacking fault energy for non-basal slip, which contributes to the activation of non-basal slip systems during plastic deformation.