Both theoretical and experimental studies of texture development in two-phase materials are presented. Finite-element techniques are used in order to characterize the strain and rotation sharing between the two phases. Different volume fractions of Ag-Ni powder composites were simulated in two-dimensional deformation until a von Mises equivalent strain of 1.25. Some average parameters were obtained and used to interpret texture results. 25\%Ag-Ni, 50\%Ag-Ni and 75\%Ag-Ni powder composite samples were deformed in free compression and the texture measured every 20\% strain. The texture evolution for Ag shows a saturation due to high internal rotation of this phase. The Ni texture shows a continuous strengthening until it even surpasses the strength of the Ag phase at high deformations. Also some textures for 50\%Ag-50\%Ni composites deformed by rolling are shown. The Ni texture strength is also shown to be higher than the Ag texture at high deformations. This phenomenon is explained by the finite-element simulations and strain path changes. The two phases deform at different paces, which is beneficial for Ag as a softer phase, but they also spin around one another with different rate, which happens to be beneficial for Ni phase strengthening its texture.

Al-Li alloys develop sharp textures with a strong brass component after fabrication. In the case of thick sheet and plate extrusions through thickness texture gradients are also commonly observed. These textures are different from those that develop in conventional aluminum alloys and their origin has not yet been completely understood. In the present work the sources of texture gradients in the 8090 alloy and 8090 based particulate composites, both formed as thick plate extrusions, have been studied. Results showed that strain gradients, and redundant shears in particular, are responsible for the development of textures in the 8090 alloys. In the SiC reinforced particulate composites, the presence of reinforcement resulted in the development of significantly weaker deformation textures without dominant brass component within the plate and a mixture of recrystallization and surface shear type textures at the surface. The development of textures in the composites has been attributed to the absence of redundant shears in the bulk and to a surface deformation gradient introduced by the presence of SiC particles.

The effects of gradients in the texture and microstructure of a tantalum plate on mechanical behavior are examined. In particular, the effects of variations in grain size and texture from the surface of the plate to the centerline on the yield behavior and final shape of compression samples are investigated. Individual lattice orientations were measured on samples both before and after deformation using automatic analysis of electron backscatter diffraction patterns. These data were used as input to a polycrystal plasticity model based on the Taylor assumption of uniform strain. Results are compared from experimental and simulated compression tests. The effects of the texture and grain size gradients on these results are discussed. The influence of the texture gradient was found to be the dominating factor controlling the nonuniform plastic response of the material. This work also demonstrates the capability of currently available tools for characterizing inhomogeneous microstructures and modeling the effects of variations in texture and microstructure on mechanical behavior.