Grain refinement vs. crystallographic texture: Mechanical anisotropy in a magnesium alloy

A magnesium alloy was subjected to severe plastic deformation via an unconventional equal channel angular extrusion route at decreasing temperatures. This method facilitates incremental grain refinement and enhances formability by activating dynamic recrystallization in the initial steps and suppressing deformation twinning. Compression experiments in three orthogonal directions demonstrated high strength levels in the processed sample, up to 350 MPa in yield and 500 MPa in ultimate strengths. Notable flow stress anisotropy is correlated with the processing texture and microstructure.