Importance of Crystallographic Texture of AZ31B on Flow Stress Anisotropy and Tension-Compression Asymmetry

The crystallographic texture of AZ31B magnesium alloy processed using equal channel angular extrusion (ECAE) was found to play an important role in the flow stress anisotropy and tension-compression (TIC) asymmetry of this alloy. In order to obtain different crystallographic textures, the AZ31B Mg alloy was ECAE processed following different conventional and hybrid ECAE routes. A visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) crystal plasticity model was employed to predict the texture evolution during ECAE. Despite the dynamic recrystallization taking place during the ECAE processing at 200 degrees C and the continuous grain refinement with the number of ECAE passes, the crystallographic texture was successfully predicted up to four passes. The flow stress anisotropy and TIC asymmetry of the samples processed up to four ECAE passes, were, then compared with those processed up to one and two passes only.