Published online by Cambridge University Press: 06 March 2019
Plastic deformation of metals produces a state characterized by the presence of residual elastic strains, small domains which diffract X-rays coherently, and often stacking faults; these effects may be studied with X-ray diffraction techniques. Changes in the lattice parameter, shifts in the relative positions of diffraction lines, and the broadening of diffraction lines were used to study the state of coldwork resulting in Cu-6.6 at.%Si-1.2 at.%Mn after deformation by filing, wiredrawing, and uniaxial tension at room temperature.
Both filing and wire-drawing produce large root-mean-square strains and stacking faults, whereas deformation by tension up to 22% extension fails to produce any clear evidence of faulting or root-mean-square strains. Tensile deformation causes fragmentation of coherent domains to an average dimension of 250 Å after 22% extension, and results in a radial, tensile, residual macrostrain arising from a smaller rate of work hardening in the surface layers than in the interior. Wire drawing also results in a residual macrostrain system. Deformation appears to enhance diffusion and promote solute clustering at room temperature.