Characterization of dislocation microstructures in cyclically deformed [001] copper single crystals using high voltage scanning transmission electron microscopy
Highlights: • High voltage scanning transmission electron microscopy is adopted. • Dislocation structure strongly depends on given plastic strain amplitude. • Evolution of dislocation structure from vein-like to labyrinth is revealed. - Abstract: Low-cycle fatigue tests of copper single crystals with the [001] stress axis were performed at room temperature under constant plastic shear strain amplitudes between γ{sub pl} = 3.5 × 10{sup − 4} and 1.0 × 10{sup − 2}. Characteristic dislocation structures, which are highly dependent on a given plastic strain amplitude, were observed by high voltage scanning transmission electron microscopy. A vein-like dislocation structure, having a parallelepiped shape with two longitudinal (100) and (001) sides, was periodically formed along the [010] direction at around γ{sub pl} = 1.0 × 10{sup − 3}. Labyrinth structure with the (100) and (001) dislocation walls was then gradually developed with increasing plastic strain amplitude.