Modeling texture evolution during hot rolling of magnesium alloy AZ31

The texture evolution during hot rolling of the magnesium alloy AZ31 is simulated using a visco-plastic self-consistent model including crystallographic slip, twinning and recrystallization. This combined model is shown to capture the main features observed in mechanical tests and in X-ray diffraction measurements of the texture. The model is implemented in the commercial finite element code ABAQUS/Explicit®, and hot rolling is simulated. Although the strain field exhibits considerable gradients over the sheet thickness and strong shear components at the sheet surface, the basal texture, as it is commonly observed in rolled magnesium sheets, predominates over the whole thickness.