Texture evolution in deformed AZ31 magnesium sheets: Experiments and phase-field study

Experimental and phase-field studies are performed to investigate mechanisms of preferential growth which lead to improved formability in AZ31 Mg sheets. A compression/annealing treatment is specialized to modify the initial texture in thin sheets. The texture and stress states of materials are studied via electron back scattered diffraction (EBSD) technique before and after annealing. Using the EBSD data on microstructure and residual stresses, a phase-field model is constructed to simulate the texture evolution after initial compression. The results suggest that the residual-stresses induced by in-plane compression are the main driving force for recrystallization and grain growth. The inhomogeneous stress distribution leads to preferential growth of {21¯1¯0} texture along the normal to the sheet, which are at lowest stress state, at the expense of initial basal texture. Limited mobility of twin boundaries changes the mixture of textures but the non-basal textures are still preferred. The formability tests confirm a significant enhancement of the final product compared to as-received sheets.