Effects of cold rolling and solid solution treatments on mechanical properties of β-phase Mg–14.3Li–0.8Zn alloy

► The mechanical properties of ultra-light LZ141 alloy was improved. ► A simple method of solid soluted and a subsequent cold-rolling was used. ► LZ141 was solid soluted at 400°C and a subsequent 80% cold-rolling. ► The duplex strengthening effects of solid-solution with cold-rolling are obvious. Cold rolled and solid-soluted (SS) treatments are employed to improve mechanical properties of ultra-light Mg–14.3Li–0.8Zn (LZ141) alloy. As-homogenized LZ141 alloy is mainly β-phase with few α-phase particles and exhibits quite good workability. Its tensile strength, elongation and hardness are 122MPa, 40% and 41.6Hv, respectively. For the specimen SS at 400°C×40min and a subsequent 80% cold-rolling, the alloy's tensile strength, elongation and hardness are 227MPa, 33% and 61.0Hv, respectively. XRD tests reveal that, for the severely cold-rolled specimen, the preferred orientation changes, while for the SS specimen, it remains unchanged. The duplex strengthening effect of solid-solution with subsequently severe cold-rolling can significantly improve mechanical properties of LZ141 alloy.