Anomalous Twinning as the Macroscopic Deformation Mechanism for AZ31 Magnesium Alloy

Abstract

In order to study the plastic deformation mechanism of AZ31 magnesium alloy, in situ texture measurement during uniaxial tensile deformation is conducted by using neutron diffraction. The specimen is prepared from a rolled sheet so that the deformation axis is parallel to the rolling direction. By increasing strain, the alignment of <10-10> along the tensile axis is strengthened, which is due to the activation of the prism slip system. The basal pole concentration at the prior sheet normal direction is slightly decreased by the deformation and the new texture component is formed at the transvers direction. This can be understood by activation of the {10-12} tension twinning. These results indicate that the tension twinning plays an important role even when the tensile deformation is applied parallel to the basal plane.