3. Plastic anisotropy

3.1 Physical origin and experimental characterization

A metallurgical alloy is rarely isotropic, especially after shaping, since it is subjected to mechanical (and thermal) stresses that are very often oriented in the same direction with respect to the material. These stresses therefore produce a morphological texture (elongation of grains in certain directions, development of fibering through fragmentation of inclusions) and crystallographic texture (preferential orientation of grains in certain directions).

Thus, a drawn or spun product will generally have a different yield strength and elongation at break depending on whether the tensile direction is along the axis of the product or in the perpendicular plane.