Plastic Anisotropy
Plasticity in casting - Cold metals

A metallurgical alloy is rarely isotropic, particularly after forming, since it undergoes mechanical (and thermal) stresses that are very often oriented in the same direction relative to the material. These stresses therefore produce a morphological texture (elongation of grains in certain directions, development of a fibrous structure due to the fragmentation of inclusions) and a crystallographic texture (preferential orientation of grains in certain directions).

Thus, a drawn or extruded product will generally have a different yield strength and elongation at break depending on whether the direction of tension is aligned with the product’s axis or with a direction lying in the perpendicular plane.