Texture and mechanical properties of superplastically deformed magnesium alloy rod

The texture and tensile properties at room temperature of a fine-grained Mg–Al–Zn alloy rod processed by extrusion were examined before and after superplastic deformation. The tensile properties at room temperature were influenced by the high-temperature deformation conditions. The specimen after being exposed to superplastic deformation under tension tend to show higher ductility and lower strength at room temperature as the strain rate during high-temperature deformation decreased or as deformation temperature increased. The pre-existing basal texture of the rod slightly weakened after superplastic deformation. However, the texture weakening in the rod was not significant compared with that observed in the counterpart alloy in sheet-form probably because the initial distribution of basal planes differs between them. It is suggested that the rotation of crystallographic orientation induced by slip accommodation for grain boundary sliding plays an important role in texture randomization in superplastic magnesium alloys.