Acoustic emission study on the activity of slip and twin mechanisms during compression testing of magnesium single crystals

Magnesium single crystals with various crystallographic orientations were uniaxially and channel-die compressed at room temperature (RT) and at a constant strain rate of 10−3 s−1 in order to obtain a comprehensive set of acoustic emission (AE) data, which can be applied in studies of twinning and dislocation processes in polycrystalline Mg alloys. Loading along the <11.2> axis led to a preferable activation of basal slip and it was accompanied by a low amplitude AE signal. Twinning was observed exclusively during compression along the <10.0> and <11.0> axis. The twin nucleation was associated with burst AE signals with high amplitudes.