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The deformation and fatigue crack nucleation mechanisms were studied by means of slip trace analysis and secondary electron microscopy in a textured AZ31B-O Mg alloy subjected to fully-reversed cyclic deformation at two different cyclic strain semi-amplitudes. Samples were deformed in two orientations leading to symmetric and non-symmetric cyclic stress-strain curves due to the activation of different deformation mechanisms. They were ascertained in longitudinal sections of the specimens, which included a large number of grains (from 1500 to 4500 for each specimen), to obtain statistically significant results. If the dominant deformation mechanisms were basal slip and tensile twinning/detwinning, the most damaging fatigue cracks were nucleated along twins in large grains, together with cracks parallel to basal slip bands associated with the localization of deformation in clusters of small grains suitably oriented for basal slip. If the main deformation mechanisms were tensile twinning/detwinning and pyramidal slip, the longest fatigue cracks were nucleated along pyramidal slip bands in large grains. Grain boundary cracks around small grains were found in all cases, but they were not critical from the viewpoint of fatigue failure. This information is relevant to assess the effect of the microstructural features on the fatigue life of Mg alloys and as input to simulate the fatigue behavior of Mg alloys using fatigue indicator parameters.

The deformation and crack initiation mechanisms were analyzed in a textured AZ31B-O Mg alloy subjected to fully-reversed, strain-controlled cyclic deformation along the rolling direction after 50 cycles (approximately 33% of the fatigue life). Distinct deformation bands corresponding to pyramidal slip or tensile twins were found in 538 grains out of 2100 grains. Slip trace analysis showed that 72.3% were pyramidal slip bands and 18.4% were twin boundaries. Both pyramidal slip and twinning was only found in 9.1% of the grains with deformation bands. Cracking was widespread after 50 cycles. Grain boundary cracks were found in approximately 15% of the small grains (< 20 $\mu$m) and they were mainly associated with high angle grain boundaries (>40 degrees). Cracking was also found to occur by transgranular cracks parallel to the pyramidal slip bands or twin boundaries in large grains (>45 $\mu$m). The majority (>60%) of these large grains presented transgranular cracks after 50 cycles.

Strain-controlled fatigue of Mg-1Mn-0.5Nd (wt.\%) alloy were studied by experiment and simulation. The microstructure was made up of a dispersion of strongly texture grains (13\%) embedded in a matrix of grains with a random texture. The cyclic stress-strain curves showed limited tension-compression anisotropy because of the limited texture. Cyclic hardening under compression and cyclic softening under tension occurred due to the presence of twinning. Moreover, the twin volume fraction of the broken samples depended on whether the sample was broken in tension or compression, indicating that twining-detwinning occurs during the whole fatigue life. The mechanical response of the polycrystalline alloy was simulated by means of computational homogenization. The behavior of the Mg grains was modelled using a phenomenological crystal plasticity model that accounted for basal, prismatic and pyramidal slip (including isotropic and kinematic hardening) as well as twining and detwinning. The model parameters were calibrated from the cyclic stress-strain curves at different cyclic strain amplitudes. Numerical simulations were used to understand the dominant deformation mechanisms and to predict the fatigue life by means of a fatigue indicator parameter based on the accumulated plastic shear strain in each fatigue cycle.

The interaction between edge basal dislocations and $\beta$-Mg$_{17}$Al$_{12}$ precipitates was studied using atomistic simulations. A strategy was developed to insert a lozenge-shaped Mg$_{17}$Al$_{12}$ precipitate with Burgers orientation relationship within the Mg matrix in an atomistic model ensuring that the matrix/precipitate interfaces were close to minimum energy configurations. It was found that the dislocation bypassed the precipitate by the formation of an Orowan loop, that entered the precipitate. Within the precipitate, the dislocation was not able to progress further until more dislocations overcome the precipitate and push the initial loop to shear the precipitate along the (110) plane, parallel to the basal plane of Mg. This process was eventually repeated as more dislocations overcome the precipitate and this mechanism of dislocation/precipitate interaction was in agreement with experimental observations. Moreover, the initial resolved shear stress to bypass the precipitate was in agreement with the predictions of the Bacon-Kocks-Scattergood model.