Modification of grain refinement and texture in AZ31 Mg alloy by a new plastic deformation method

We have designed a novel severe plastic deformation technique by integrating forward extrusion and torsion deformation into a single processing step and tested its feasibility to the Mg alloys AZ31. We find that this technique can be successfully applied to the AZ31 Mg alloys by showing no cracks. The grains of the alloys are refined and the basal texture is dramatically improved due to the dynamic recrystallization induced by the heavily accumulated strains. This new deformation technique could become a promising method for further tailoring microstructure and texture of Mg-based alloys for a wide range of engineering applications.