Three-dimensional effects of twinning in magnesium alloys

This article provides experimental evidence on the pronounced three-dimensional surface effects caused by tension twinning at early stages of plasticity of a magnesium alloy. To achieve this goal, multiscale mechanical testing was combined with strain field, texture and surface morphology quantification. The current investigation correlates crystallography-driven, grain-scale surface roughening to the spatially heterogeneous micro- and macrostrain. It was found that tension twinning causes considerable surface extrusions and intrusions across multiple grains that are directly related to severe strain inhomogeneities. (C) 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.