Athermal influence of pulsed electric current on the twinning behavior of Mg–3Al–1Zn alloy during rolling

Electroplastic rolling (ER) and conventional warm rolling (WR) were conducted on Mg–3Al–1Zn (AZ31) sheet to study, for the first time, the influence of pulsed electric current on the twinning behavior of magnesium alloy. The 101̅2 extension twins were found insensitive to the current. The primary 101̅1 contraction twins, in contrast, display higher number fraction of twinned grains and better Schmid behavior in ER than in WR. This difference indicates a special ‘athermal’ influence of the current, which probably originates from the improved strain accommodation due to enhanced prismatic < a > activity. The distinctive twinning behavior is related to the improved rollability.

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