Influence of Thermal Treatment of the Extruded Mg–2.9Y–1.3Nd Alloy on Its Structural Parameters and Heat Capacity

The paper focuses on the thermal treatment effect on structural properties and heat capacity of the extruded Mg–2.9Y–1.3Nd alloy. It is shown that the bimodal temperature dependence of the heat capacity for the extruded Mg–2.9Y–1.3Nd alloy is determined by the structural and phase transformation during annealing process in the temperature range of 300 to 450°C according to β′→ β1→ β, β′→ β, or β1→β cascade reactions. This dependence is associated with the complex structure, i.e., base α-phase dispersion-hardened with Mg24Y5 nanoparticles, metastable β′- and β1-phases, and equilibrium β-phase.