High temperature deformation and extended plasticity in Mg single crystals

The high temperature deformation behavior of Mg single crystals was precisely investigated using orientation imaging microscopy. For this purpose, Mg single crystals of various orientations were tensile tested in vacuum at temperatures between 473 and 673 K. A strain rate of 4.2 x 10(-4) s(-1) was employed. The elongations to fracture depended strongly on crystal orientation, the lowest fracture strains being associated with multiple slip. Single crystals in which single slip was activated exhibited extended ductilities corresponding to more than 1.5 in true strain. The strong orientation dependence of the ductility can also be correlated with the ease of occurrence of dynamic recrystallization (DRX), which took place in the multiple-slip specimens. The role of twinning in the initiation of DRX is also discussed.