Large-Strain Softening of Metals at Elevated Temperatures by Deformation Texture Development

Many (if not a majority) of metals and alloys evince substantial softening with torsion deformation to strains not usually achievable in tension. Of course, softening has long been observed by discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) but this paper will discuss cases where softening is associated by texture development with large-strain deformation that is not reliant on changes in the dislocation density. This paper discusses the work of the current authors on FCC metals and alloys and extends to a new discussion of BCC and HCP cases. The analysis of the basis for torsional softening in BCC steel and HCP Zr discussed here is a novel concept that has not been addressed in the literature before.