Microstructure and mechanical properties of AZ80 magnesium alloy sheet processed by differential speed rolling

A heat-treatable AZ80 magnesium alloy has been subjected to differential speed rolling (DSR) at a large thickness reduction per pass of 33%, and microstructure, texture, mechanical properties, stretch formability as well as texture evolution during stretch forming have been investigated. The basal pole of the DSR-processed sheet tilts toward the rolling direction at 15°. The as-rolled sheet exhibits a combination of high strength (tensile strength: 329 MPa) and high ductility (fracture elongation: 25%). The Erichsen value at room temperature improves from 3.7 to 4.5 compared with the normal-rolled sheet. The enhancement of the stretch formability can be attributed to the texture effects due to the same grain size of 7 μm. The DSR-processed sheet exhibits a larger Schmid factor for basal slip and the inclination of basal pole retains during the stretch forming. The aging treatment remarkably enhances the mechanical strength further while it significantly deteriorates the formability.