In situ EBSD during tensile test of aluminum AA3003 sheet

Miniature tensile-test specimens of soft-annealed, weakly textured AA3003 aluminum sheet in 0.9 mm thickness were deformed until fracture inside a scanning electron microscope. Tensile strength measured by the miniature tensile test stage agreed well with the tensile strength by regular tensile testing. Strain over the microscope field of view was determined from changes in positions of constituent particles. Slip lines were visible in secondary electron images already at 0.3% strain; activity from secondary slip systems became apparent at 2% strain. Orientation rotation behavior of the tensile load axis with respect to the crystallographic axes agreed well with previously reported trends for other aluminum alloys. Start of the fracture and tensile crack propagation were documented in secondary electron images. The region of fracture nucleation included and was surrounded by many grains that possessed high Schmid factors at zero strain. Crystal lattice rotation angles in the grains surrounding the initial fracture zone were higher than average while rotations inside the initial fracture zone were lower than average for strains from zero to 31%. The orientation rotation behavior of the tensile load axes of the grains around the fracture zone deviated from the average behavior in this material.