The occurrence of shear banding in a millimeter scale (1̄2̄3)[634] grain of an Al-4.5% Mg alloy during plane strain compression

The appearance of localization in shear bands during plane strain compression (PSC) of an Al-4.5% Mg alloy is investigated, with emphasis on a millimeter scale S-orientated grain in the longitudinal section of the specimen, upon which a gold microgrid was deposited. In order to justify this focus, attention is also paid on smaller grains of other areas. The microgrid technique allows the local strain field at various steps of deformation to be followed and in-plane components to be plotted over the selected region. Electron back scattered diffraction analysis was also used to gain an insight into the crystallography of local lattice rotations. One can then predict the potentially activated slip systems according to the Schmid law with Taylorʹs hypothesis, and assert the initial crystallographic feature of shear banding. This provides the opportunity to gain a more complete understanding, assuming a grain scale effect, of the mechanisms involved in the occurrence of shear banding in this alloy, and to reveal its influence on the rolling texture.