Improved ductility of magnesium alloys by a simple shear process followed by annealing

Mg–3Al–1Zn (AZ31) alloy sheets were processed at room temperature using a simple shear process followed by annealing. The basal texture intensity was drastically weakened and the basal pole tended to rotate 45° away from the rolling direction after simple shearing. The simple sheared and annealed sample exhibits larger fracture elongations regardless of directions and its Erichsen value increases by ∼53% compared with that of the as-received sheet. The microstructure evolution and properties were characterized and compared.