Influence of rare earth (Ce and La) addition on the performance of Al-3.0 wt%Mg alloy

The influences of rare earth elements (cerium and lanthanum) on the microstructure and phases of Al-3.0 wt%Mg alloys used for electromagnetic shielding wire were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The mechanical properties and electrical resistivity were also investigated. The results indicated that a certain content of rare earth could improve the purification of the aluminum molten, enhance the strength, and reduce the electrical resistivity of Al-3.0 wt%Mg alloys. The strength reached the top value when RE content was 0.3 wt% while the alloy with 0.2 wt% RE addition had the smallest electrical resistivity. The elongation varied little when RE addition was no more than 0.2 wt%. But the excessive addition of rare earth would be harmful to the microstructure and properties of Al-3.0 wt%Mg alloys.