Etude par microscopie electronique a balayage de l'endommagement par fatigue du cuivre apres implantation de divers elements (de He à Xe)

Abstract

The effect of ion implantation of the surface fatigue damage in polycrystalline copper has been studied. Several elements were employed, from He to Xe, which induce different defect structures. Implanted and non-implanted specimens were cycled up to rupture in tension-compression conditions under two cyclic stress levels. Fatigue tests were conducted at room temperature in laboratory air or in vacuum. Fatigue life is only modified on the He-implanted specimen cycled at the lower stress level; other implanted specimens do not show measurable changes in the fatigue lives. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the effect of the implantations of the cyclic slip behaviour at the specimens surface. While Al or Cu implantations induce no changes and Xe implantation has a small effect, on the other hand, the implantation of He, B, C, N, O or Ar causes a strong inhibition of slip bands at the specimen surface. This inhibition is correlated with the nonsolubility of the elements in thermodynamic equilibrium conditions.