Characterization of dislocation microstructures in near-[formula omitted] single crystal copper using high-voltage scanning transmission electron microscopy

Abstract

Metallic structures are prone to failure caused primarily by fatigue-related damage to the structural material. Fatigue behavior is strongly correlated with dislocation structures in metals. Therefore, investigating the formation of dislocation structures is essential for understanding the fatigue process. The dislocation structure in face-centered cubic crystals has a strong orientation dependence. However, the detailed characteristics and evolution process of dislocation structures of fatigued [1‾11] single crystal copper are still insufficient. This study investigated dislocation structures in near-[1‾11] single crystal copper cyclically deformed at room temperature under different constant plastic shear strain amplitude (γpl) to analyze the formation mechanism of dislocation structures and their relationship with fatigue behavior. Characteristic dislocation structures were characterized by adopting multiple planes using a high-voltage scanning transmission electron microscope. With increasing shear strain amplitude, a vein-like structure along the (1‾11) plane gradually developed into a wall structure. When γpl ≥ 1 × 10−3, deformation bands and cell bands were formed to accommodate the higher plastic strain. The state of cell-band development significantly affected the cyclic softening of the single crystal copper. A positive linear relationship existed between the shear stress amplitude and the reciprocal of the cell width.