Influence of temperature and plastic relaxation on tensile twinning in a magnesium alloy

The present study shows that over the temperature range 25–200 °C, {101¯2} “tensile” twinning during compression of extruded Mg-3Al-1Zn alloy to strains of 1.4% maintains a constant volume fraction but that there are lesser amounts of twin nucleation and greater amounts of twin growth as the temperature rises. The increase in growth—i.e. enhanced twin thickening—is rationalized in terms of the dislocation-mediated relaxation of the misfit back-stress.