Tailoring the surface microstructure and texture in pure zinc

The present study focuses on the microstructure and texture evolution of a severely plastically deformed (SPD) surface of an extruded pure zinc. The SPD was carried out by indentation scratch on a surface perpendicular to extrusion direction at room temperature (RT) and high temperature (HT) of 150 °C. Different deformation mechanisms viz. slip lines, twin, grain boundary sliding, and dynamic recrystallization were noticed. Slip trace analysis confirmed basal slip {0001}112‾0 to be predominant. The dynamic recrystallization resulted in a massive grain size reduction from an initial size of ~ 86 μm to ~ 0.6–2.2 μm. Electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD) study showed that the recrystallized grains have a strong basal texture. The in-grain misorientation axes (IGMA) analysis indicated the activation of basal and/or second-order pyramidal slip. Additionally, profuse {101‾2}101‾1‾ contraction twins were observed for RT scratch, and the twin activity considerably diminished at HT. Further, {101‾2}/{101‾2} double twinning was observed in RT scratches. Finally, finite element simulation was used to characterize the stress distribution during RT scratch and predict the depth profile.