Deformation structures developing on fine scales

Abstract

Quantitative measurement and analysis of structural parameters has shown for a variety of metals and processes that the microstructural evolution follows a universal path of grain subdivision down to the nanoscale. This behaviour has allowed an analysis of the formation and evolution of graded nanoscale structures produced by sliding. Transmission electron microscopy studies and scaling analyses of such structures show the dominating role of dislocations in the development deformation microstructures on multiple length scales. The crucial role of dislocations has been documented by high-resolution electron microscopy analysis, which has revealed the presence of a large number of glide dislocations in layers between geometrically necessary boundaries with individual spacing as fine as 5 nm.

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences, the US Department of Energy under contract DE-AC04-94AL85000 and by the Danish National Research Foundation through the Center for Fundamental Research: Metal Structures in Four Dimensions. The authors are grateful to D. Medlin for discussions.

Notes

^aHeilmann et al. (1983).