Enhanced stretch formability of rolled Mg–3Al–1Zn alloy at room temperature by initial {10–12} twins

A remarkable improvement of the stretch formability of rolled Mg–3Al–1Zn alloy at room temperature was achieved by introducing initial {10–12} twins. The activation of detwinning and basal slip in twinned region was found to effectively accommodate a thickness-direction strain and this led to an enhancement of stretch formability. The improvement was obtained in proportion to the twin volume fraction and just the twin volume fraction of ∼24% enhanced the stretch formability by ∼65%, which can be achievable at 300 °C.