Twinning characteristics in textured AZ31 alloy under impact loading along specified direction

A plate of hot extruded AZ31 alloy with some large grains was selected for impact tests. The occurrence of twinning was investigated. It was found that when impacted along the normal direction (ND) of the plate, {10–11}–{10–12} double twinning is commonly observed in large grains, and {10–12} tension twinning can also be activated although their c-axis is close to the compression direction. In small grains, {10–12} tension twins are favored in which case the extension strain component is parallel to the c-axis. In addition, twins with < 11–20> 75° misorientation to the parent matrix were also observed.