Tensile behavior of friction-stir welded AZ31 magnesium alloy

In this work, electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) and digital image correlation were employed to study tensile behavior of friction-stir welded magnesium alloy AZ31. The character of measured strain patterns indicated the prevalence of basal slip but also suggested significant activity of prism slip. A substantial strain gradient was found lengthways in the stir zone. The failure was shown to be initiated at the weld root and to originate from double {101¯1}−{101¯2} twinning. Crack propagation was influenced by the “onion-ring structure” of the stir zone.