Effect of icosahedral phase particles on the texture evolution in Mg–Zn–Y alloys

In order to understand the role of the icosahedral phase (I-phase) particles on the improved mechanical properties of Mg–3Zn–0.6Y and Mg–6Zn–1.2Y alloys, the texture evolution has been investigated by the X-ray diffraction and electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) analyses. Mg–6Zn–1.2Y alloy exhibits higher strength than Mg–3Zn–0.6Y alloy due to the presence of larger amount of I-phase particles. However, Mg–6Zn–1.2Y alloy exhibits a larger elongation than Mg–3Zn–0.6Y alloy. With increasing the volume fraction of I-phase particles and rolling speeds, the relatively random texture is developed, which is attributed to local lattice rotations around I-phase particles during shear deformation. The relatively random texture plays an important role in enhancing the ductility when larger amount of I-phase particles are present in Mg–6Zn–1.2Y alloy.