Alternative processing routes such as powder metallurgy, the extrusion of recycled chips, or equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) have been considered for effective methods of maintaining the high mechanical strength of Mg-Y-Zn alloys containing long-period stacking ordered structures with respect to the alloy processed by the conventional extrusion of as-cast ingots with the advantage of minimizing the yttrium content. A yield stress similar to that found for extruded Mg₉₇Y₂Zn₁ alloy can be attained with only half of the usual yttrium and zinc additions thanks to the grain refinement induced by ECAP processing. The properties of Mg_98.5Y₁Zn_0.5 subjected to ECAP are maintained up to 200 °C, but superplastic behavior is found above this temperature when the alloy is processed through a powder metallurgy route.

The evolution of the microstructure and mechanical properties during equal channel angular pressing processing has been studied in an extruded Mg-Gd-Y-Zn alloy containing long-period stacking ordered phases. After extrusion, the microstructure is characterized by the presence of long-period stacking ordered fibers elongated along the extrusion direction within the magnesium matrix. The grain structure is a mixture of randomly oriented dynamic recrystallized and coarse highly oriented non-dynamic recrystallized grains. Rare-earth atoms are in solid solution after extrusion at 400 °C and precipitation takes place during the thermal treatment at 200 °C. Precipitation of β’ prismatic plates and lamellar γ’ in the basal plane increases the tensile yield stress from 325 to 409 MPa. During equal channel angular pressing processing at 300 °C, the volume fraction of dynamic recrystallized grains continuously increases with the strain introduced during the equal channel angular pressing process. Precipitation of β phase is equally observed at grain boundaries of the ECAPed alloy. Dynamic recrystallized grain size decreases from 1.8 µm in the extruded material to 0.5 µm in the ECAPed alloy. Thermal treatment at 200 °C of ECAPed materials results in an increase of the yield stress up to 456 MPa, which is maintained up to 200 °C.