Characterization of Dislocation Rearrangement in FCC Metals during Work Hardening Using X-ray Diffraction Line-Profile Analysis

Abstract

Multiplication and rearrangement of dislocations in face-centered cubic (FCC) metals during tensile deformation are affected by grain size, stacking fault energy (SFE), and solute elements. X-ray diffraction (XRD) line-profile analysis can evaluate the dislocation density (ρ) and dislocation arrangement (M) from the strength of the interaction between dislocations. However, the relationship between M and ρ has not been thoroughly addressed. In this study, multiplication and rearrangement of dislocations in FCC metals during tensile deformation was evaluated by XRD line-profile analysis. Furthermore, the effects of grain size, SFE, and solute elements on the extent of dislocation rearrangement were evaluated with varying M values during tensile deformation. M decreased as the dislocation density increased. By contrast, grain size and SFE did not exhibit a significant influence on the obtained M values. The influence of solute species and concentration of solute elements on M changes were also determined. In addition, the relationship between dislocation substructures and M for tensile deformed metals were also explained. Dislocations were loosely distributed at M > 1, and cell walls gradually formed by gathering dislocations at M M in metals with low stacking fault energy, thin cell walls with high dislocation density formed for an M value of 0.3 in metals with high stacking fault energy.

Keywords

• stacking fault energy
• solute element
• transmission electron microscopy
• X-ray diffraction
• dislocation
• line-profile analysis