Plastic deformation macrolocalization during serrated creep of an aluminum-magnesium Al-6 wt % Mg alloy

The nonlinear dynamics of the space-time structure of macrolocalized deformation is studied by a set of high-speed in situ methods under the conditions of serrated creep in an aluminum-magnesium Al-6 wt % Mg alloy at room temperature. Macroscopic deformation jumps with an amplitude of several percent are detected in the creep curve of this alloy. It is found that a complex space-time structure of macrolocalized deformation bands moving in a correlated manner forms spontaneously in the material during the development of a deformation jump. The difference between the observed picture of deformation bands and the well-known Portevin-Le Chatelier classification of deformation bands is discussed.