Plastic deformation micro-mechanisms in magnesium and its alloys

Magnesium alloys are of interest for many weight-saving applications. One of the limiting factors for the widening application of magnesium alloys is the poor room temperature ductility which is intrinsically associated with the hexagonal crystal structure and consequently the associated plastic deformation mechanisms. In this work, the plastic deformation mechanism of pure magnesium and magnesium alloys has been studied using micro-pillar compression tests at room temperature, in conjunction with electron microscopy observations of the deformation microstructure. The critical resolved shear stress values for both <c+a> and <a> slip are determined.