Heterogeneity in deformation and twinning behaviors through the thickness direction in E-form Mg alloy sheets during an Erichsen test

The heterogeneity of both deformation and twinning behaviors through the thickness direction in E-form Mg alloy sheets was investigated via conventional Erichsen testing at room temperature (RT). The microtexture heterogeneity through the thickness direction of the E-form Mg alloy sheets deformed by different punch strokes (PSs) is discussed in terms of deformation twinning and de-twinning. The evolution of the microtexture, twin and KAM (kernel average misorientation) of E-form Mg alloy sheets deformed by different PSs was analyzed via electron back-scattered diffraction (EBSD) technique. A crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) based on a random mapping (RM) scheme was used to simulate the heterogeneities of the strain/stress states of E-form Mg alloy sheets through the thickness direction during an Erichsen test. The evolution of the strain/stress that developed in E-form Mg alloy sheets during Erichsen testing was analyzed for different regions through the thickness direction under different PSs. EBSD analysis revealed that tension (TTWs), compression (CTWs) and double (DTWs) twins were the main deformation mechanisms in the upper portions. However, in the lower portions, a change in the sign of strain/stress components during Erichsen testing resulted in a significant formation of TTWs in the early stages and in a de-twinning of TTWs in the later stages.