Deformation and Its Effect on Recrystallization in Magnesium Alloy AZ31

Abstract

<p>Sheet specimens of alloy AZ31 were cross-rolled to equivalent strains of 0.05, 0.10, 0.30, 0.40, 0.56, and 0.77. The microstructure evolution was examined using a combination of optical metallography (OM), Electron Backscattered Diffraction (EBSD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results revealed significant activity of basal and non-basal slip as well as twinning. The twins were mainly of the contraction and double-twin (contraction-extension) types. In addition to the micron scale (1-5μm) twins observed on EBSD patterns, nano-scale twins were observed. The nano twins had a width of less than 0.20μm and existed either as individual/isolated twins or as twin-bundles that are several microns thick. The number of nano twin-bundles increased with increasing strain. Shear bands were also observed to form at high strains and eventually led to the failure of the sheet. As for the texture evolution, analysis of the pole figures shows an evident strengthening of the basal texture during the cross-rolling.</p> <p>Specimens of Mg alloy AZ31 cold-rolled to equivalent strains of 0.10 and 0.30 were selected and annealed at 250^oC. The progress of recrystallization was followed using OM, EBSD and TEM with special emphasis on the nucleation of recrystallization. The distribution of recrystallization nuclei was very heterogeneous due to the heterogeneity of the as-deformed microstructure. Twin/grain-boundary and twin/twin intersections as well as twin interiors were the dominant recrystallization nucleation sites. Significant recovery was observed in the non-recrystallized regions and this limited the growth of the recrystallized grains.</p>