INVESTIGATION OF DISLOCATION-STRUCTURE IN A CYCLICALLY DEFORMED COPPER SINGLE-CRYSTAL USING ELECTRON CHANNELING CONTRAST TECHNIQUE IN SEM

The dislocation structures in a copper single crystal under cyclic str aining were studied using electron channeling contrast (ECC) in scanni ng electron microscopy (SEM). It is shown that the typical dislocation structures observed in the cyclically deformed copper single crystal by means of the ECC technique are in good agreement with those observe d by transmission electron microscopy. ECC-SEM observation clearly rev eals an evolutional process of dislocation structure from the loop pat ches of matrix formed at lower strain amplitude to the labyrinth forme d at higher strain amplitude. Moreover, the dislocation microstructure in deformation bands, distinctly different from that in the surroundi ng matrix, was also observed by this technique. (C) 1998 Elsevier Scie nce S.A. All rights reserved.