Developing a Basal Texture with Two Peaks Tilting Towards the Transverse Direction in Hot Rolled Mg-5.7Zn-0.5Zr Plates

Abstract

Rolled Mg alloys often present a basal texture with the (0002) poles slightly tilting from the normal direction (ND) towards the rolling direction. The current work systematically studies the formation of a double-peaked basal texture tilting from the ND towards the transverse direction (TD) of Mg-5.7Zn-0.5Zr (ZK60) plates hot rolled from the as-cast condition. Our results show that a basal texture forms with the two peaks obviously tilting from the ND towards the TD after rolling to reductions over 19 pct at 673 K (400 °C), but does not appear after rolling at 293 K (20 °C). The TD-tilted double peaks of basal poles disappear after annealing, developing a stronger peak of basal poles around the ND. The microstructural examination indicates that this TD-tilted basal texture mainly results from rolling deformation rather than dynamic recrystallization. Crystal plasticity simulation using the VPSC model was used to understand the effect of slips and twinning on the formation of this TD-tilted basal texture. Simulation demonstrates that, compared to prismatic 〈a〉 slip, pyramidal 〈a〉 slip is more efficient to generate the basal texture tilting towards the TD. The possible mechanisms affecting the activity of non-basal slips are discussed.