Texture effect on microyielding of wrought magnesium alloy AZ31

Uniaxial tension tests and elastoplastic self-consistent (EPSC) simulations were conducted to study the effect of texture on the microyielding of highly textured AZ31 plate. The onset of microyielding is always associated with the activation of basal < a > slip irrespective of starting texture, while the value of the microyield stress does depend on the texture. The macroscopic yield stress is largely affected by the critical resolved shear stress of the deformation mode with the highest Schmid factor. An inverse relation is found between the microyield strength normalized by the macroscopic yield strength and the average Schmid factor of prism < a > slip, which is useful for a rough estimate of the microyield strength. (c) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.