On the relationship between the shuffling-dominated and shear-dominated mechanisms for {10(1)over-bar2} twinning in magnesium

The concept of the shuffling-dominated mechanism of the {10 (1) over bar2} twinning mode in magnesium calls into question the importance of twinning dislocations. Nevertheless, this concept is still used as the basis for hypotheses concerning inclined twin boundaries. In this study, we demonstrate that the effect of shear deformation cannot be neglected, even if atomic motions due to shuffling are larger than those due to shear. Consequently, a twin boundary on the {10 (1) over bar2} plane is always expected due to strain compatibility conditions, and inclinations are possible only due to the presence of dislocations. (C) 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.