This dataset supplements the publication “Partitioning of Ca to metastable precipitates in a Mg-rare earth alloy” on Materials Research Letters. It compiles the experimental investigation results including micro-hardness study, OM, SEM, STEM, EDS, and APT characterization. Please note, the meta-data provided will be updated over time. We reserve the right to update this dataset without notification. If you would like to be notified of changes, please email Qianying Shi at shiqiany@umich.edu.

The potential effect of the element Ca on the precipitation behavior was investigated in a Mg-rare earth alloy. A combination of metastable β′′′ and β′ precipitates was observed for the peak aging condition at 200°C. Ca addition was found to have no significant effect on the precipitating phases and evolution sequence. Composition analysis showed that the Ca partitioned to both β′′′ and β′ precipitate phases. First-principles calculations indicated that Ca partitions to the rare-earth sublattice in the precipitate phase. This finding suggests the potential of Ca to partially replace costly rare-earth elements in precipitation hardened Mg-rare earth alloys.