Low Amplitude Fatigue Hardening of Copper Single Crystals

Abstract

<p>The detailed dislocation microstructure was determined as a function of low amplitude fatigue in the hardening regime. Copper single crystals were cycled in uniaxial, symmetric push-pull at room temperature.</p> <p>The dislocation microstructures were observed by thin film electron microscopy for various extents of hardening. An attempt was made to correlate surface slip line observations to the dislocation . microstructures. On the basis of a similarity to the dislocation distributions observed in stage two of uni-directional work hardening, a model for fatigue hardening was proposed. Hirsch's stress relief theory of stage two work hardening was used to account for the observed dislocation distributions.</p>