Nanoindentation study for deformation twinning of magnesium single crystal

Abstract

The small-scale deformation behavior of single-crystalline Mg was investigated using nanoindentation combined with transmission electron microscopy observation. The nanoindentation on both basal and second-order prismatic planes activated the tensile twin system at different positions. The concept of twin-favorable zones was chosen to explain the tensile twin formation by indentation on both basal and prismatic planes. Besides < c + a > dislocation, this study proves that the tensile twin formation plays a role in accommodating the strain induced by the nanoindentation of single-crystalline Mg. (C) 2012 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.