Effect of Texture on Tensile Properties of an ECAP-Processed MA2-1 Magnesium Alloy

Various equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) regimes by routes A and Bc were applied to a commercial MA2-1 (Mg-5wt.%Al-1wt.%Zn-0.4wt.%Mn) alloy for the development of texture which is different from the one of conventionally extruded and annealed alloy. In order to avoid the grain-size effect, the ECAP-processed alloy was annealed to coarsen the grains. The alloy texture before and after the ECAP was determined by the approximation of the X-ray measured pole figures with the canonical normal distributions of central type. The ECAP implementation results in the formation of ultra-fine grained structure of the alloy with an average grain size of 2.0-2.4 µm. The ECAP also drastically changes the initial axial texture characterized by a sharp basal component by splitting it into several more scattered orientations. The degree of the orientation scattering depends on the ECAP regime and route. The annealing of alloy after ECAP results in the grain size growth to the initial state of the extruded and annealed alloy. In addition to that the texture changes of the ECAP-processed alloy after annealing, unlike the structure changes, don’t result in texture of the initial state. The mechanical tensile properties of the annealed alloy substantially depend on the preceding ECAP routes. The yield strength of the annealed alloy decreases after all routes of ECAP. On the contrary, the uniform elongation compared with the one of the initial state of the alloy decreases after 4A route and increases after 4Bc route of ECAP. The effect of the texture and structure on the yield strength and tensile elongation of the alloy after ECAP and annealing was estimated using calculation of the generalized Schmid factors for specific preferred orientations of the active deformation systems and Hall-Petch relationship.