Abstract: The twinning process of ZK30+0.3Yb magnesium alloy was studied. The results show that twinning occurs at the initial stage of deformation, and decreases during further deformation. The original grain is fragmented after small straining. It is investigated that the twinning boundary activates the occurrence of the non-basal slip system due to the stress concentration at the vicinity of twin boundary introduced by the dislocation pile-ups at the vicinity of twinning boundary. The rearrangement of dislocation after dislocation climb introduces new grain boundary. Simultaneously, twinning occurs to form “polygonization” due to the stress concentration relaxation, and the “polygonization” will transform into low angle boundary to refine the original grain under the shear stress with further straining.

Key words: magnesium alloys; twinning; dislocation rearrangement; grain refinement