Zinc Single Crystal Deformation Experiments using a "6 Degrees of Freedom" Apparatus

A new experimental technique to study crystallographic slip system activity in metallic single crystals deformed under a condition of uniaxial stress is applied to study the behavior of Zn single crystals. The experimental apparatus allows essentially unconstrained shape change of inherently anisotropic materials under a condition of uniaxial stress by allowing 3 translational and 3 rotational degrees of freedom during compression; hence we have named the experiment 6 degrees of freedom (6DOF). The experiments also utilize a 3-D digital image correlation system to measure full-field displacement fields, which are used to calculate strain and make direct observations of slip system activity. We show that the experimental results associated with a pristine zinc single crystal are precisely consistent with the theoretical predicted shape change (sample distortion) assuming that the most favored slip system on the basal plane is the only one that is active. Another experiment was performed on a processed and annealed Zn single crystal to investigate slip that is inconsistent with the critical resolved shear stress (CRSS) theory. These experiments on zinc illustrate the ability of the 6DOF experiment, together with image correlation (IC) data, to measure slip system activity with a high degree of fidelity

X-Ray Microdiffraction Characterization of Deformation Heterogeneities in BCC Crystals

The deformation behavior of BCC metals is being investigated by x-ray microdiffraction measurements (mu XRD) for the purpose of characterizing the dislocation structure that results from uniaxial compression experiments. The high brilliance synchrotron source at the Advanced Light Source (Lawrence Berkeley National Lab) and the micron resolution of the focusing optics allow for the mapping of Laue diffraction patterns across a sample. These measurements are then analyzed in order to map the distribution of residual stresses in the crystal. An important findingis the observation of Laue spot "streaking," which indicates localized rotations in the lattice.These may represent an accumulation of same-sign dislocations. Theoretical modeling of the diffraction response for various slip systems is presented, and compared to experimental data. Preliminary results include orientation maps from a highly strained Ta bicrystal and a less highly strained Mo single crystal. The orientation maps of the bicrystal indicate a cell-like structure of dense dislocation walls. This deformation structure is consistent with previous OIM studies of the same crystal. The results suggest that mu XRD may be a particularly useful tool for microscale studies of deformation patterns in a multi-scale investigation of the mechanisms of deformation that ranges from macroscopic deformation tests to high resolution TEM studies of dislocation structures

Mapping mesoscale heterogeneity in the plastic deformation of a copper single crystal

The work reported here is part of a 'multiscale characterization' study of heterogeneous deformation patterns in metals. A copper single crystal was oriented for single slip in the (111)[{bar 1}01] slip system and tested to {approx}10% strain in roughly uniaxial compression. The macroscopic strain field was monitored during the test by optical 'image correlation'. The strain field was measured on orthogonal surfaces, one of which (the x-face) was oriented perpendicular to [1{bar 2}1] and contained the [{bar 1}01] direction of the preferred slip system. The macroscopic strain developed in an inhomogeneous pattern of broad, crossed shear bands in the x-face. One, the primary band, lay parallel to (111). The second, the 'conjugate' band, was oriented perpendicular to (111) with an overall ({bar 1}01) habit that contains no common slip plane of the fcc crystal. The mesoscopic deformation pattern was explored with selected area diffraction, using a focused synchrotron radiation polychromatic beam with a resolution of 1-3 {micro}m. Areas within the primary, conjugate and mixed (primary + conjugate) strain regions of the x-face were identified and mapped for their orientation, excess defect density and shear stress. The mesoscopic defect structure was concentrated in broad, somewhat irregular primary bands that lay nominally parallel to (111) in an almost periodic distribution with a period of about 30 {micro}m. These primary bands were dominant even in the region of conjugate strain. There were also broad conjugate defect bands, almost precisely perpendicular to the primary bands, that tended to bridge primary bands and terminate at them. The residual shear stresses were large (ranging to well above 500 MPa) and strongly correlated with the primary shear bands; interband stresses were small. The maximum resolved shear stresses within the primary bands were oriented out of the plane of the bands, and, hence, could not recover the dislocation structure in the bands. The maximum resolved shear stresses in the interband regions lay predominantly in {l_brace}111{r_brace} planes. The results are compared to the mesoscopic defect patterns found in Cu in etch pit studies done some decades ago, which also revealed a mesoscopic dislocation structure made up of orthogonal bands

Crystallographic Texture Evolution of a Zinc Sheet Subjected to Different Strain Paths

The use of zinc sheets has largely increased in the last years, fundamentally because of new tendencies in architecture and, at the same time, due to its excellent properties, as corrosion resistance under aggressive climatic conditions, malleability, recyclability, and surface finishing aspect. In the present work, the X-ray diffraction technique is used to characterize the crystallographic texture evolution of a strongly anisotropic Zn20 zinc sheet (Zn-Cu-Ti) subjected to uniaxial tension, plane strain, and equibiaxial tension, for specimens cut at 0, 45, and 90 deg with respect to the rolling direction. The crystallographic texture evolution is evaluated by means of pole figures, orientation distribution function, and Kearns factors. For all tested strain paths, deformation produces a decrease in the intensity of the crystallographic textures, due to a dispersion of the orientations of the different axes around the initial maxima