Enhancing the fatigue property of rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy by controlling {10-12} twinning-detwinning characteristics

Abstract

An improvement of the fatigue resistance of rolled AZ31 magnesium alloy was attempted by reducing the tensile mean stress developed during fatigue deformation, which was achievable by tailoring the {10-12} twinning-detwinning characteristics of the material through the precompression process. The modification of the {10-12} twinning-detwinning characteristics made it possible to control the plastic deformation mechanisms activated during fatigue deformation so that the imposed tensile strain could be fully accommodated by detwinning alone, which led to a significant reduction of tensile flow stress, finally resulting in the reduction of mean stress.