DEVELOPMENT OF THE MICROSTRUCTURE OF SEVERELY- PLASTICALLY DEFORMED Mg ALLOY, ZK60

The microstructural evolutions of a Mg alloy, ZK60, subjected to plastic deformation through equal-channel-angular processing (ECAP) and uniaxial compression were compared using X-ray diffraction (XRD) for both 2θ-scans and pole-figure measurements to better understand their specific deformation modes. A larger microstrain was observed in the samples deformed by compression at room temperature, as compared to the samples ECAP-ed at 260 0 C. Crystallographic texture changes due to uniaxial compression suggested a twinning deformation contribution. The texture evolution during ECAP was mapped on a partially processed sample, at locations with different shear-strain values. Microstrain relaxation in ECAP-ed samples indicates that the recovery/ recrystallization processes compete with the plastic deformation, which was supported by texture features observed in a late stage of the ECAP deformation.