On the strain hardening behaviour of magnesium at room temperature

The strain hardening behaviour of randomly oriented polycrystals deformed in tension and compression is analysed using the Kocks–Mecking phenomenological approach. At low stresses, an extended regime of linear hardening consistent with an athermal forest hardening mechanism, akin to that observed in face-centered cubic metals, is observed. The increase in yield strength with decreasing grain size can also be accounted for by relating the mean free path of dislocations to the grain size. Profuse twinning in compression seems to have little or no effects on the overall strain hardening behaviour.