Early deformation mechanisms in the shear affected region underneath a copper sliding contact.

Dislocation mediated plastic deformation decisively influences the friction coefficient and the microstructural changes at many metal sliding interfaces during tribological loading. This work explores the initiation of a tribologically induced microstructure in the vicinity of a copper twin boundary. Two distinct horizontal dislocation traces lines (DTL) are observed in their interaction with the twin boundary beneath the sliding interface. DTL formation seems unaffected by the presence of the twin boundary but the twin boundary acts as an indicator of the occurring deformation mechanisms. Three concurrent elementary processes can be identified: simple shear of the subsurface area in sliding direction, localized shear at the primary DTL and crystal rotation in the layers above and between the DTLs around axes parallel to the transverse direction. Crystal orientation analysis demonstrates a strong compatibility of these proposed processes. Quantitatively separating these different deformation mechanisms is crucial for future predictive modeling of tribological contacts.

Combination of in situ straining and ACOM TEM: a novel method for analysis of plastic deformation of nanocrystalline metals.

Nanocrystalline metals are expected to exhibit different deformation mechanisms when compared to their coarse grained counterparts because the dislocation storage capacity decreases and the grain boundary mediated processes become more pronounced with decreasing grain size. As a new approach to directly image and quantify the plastic deformation processes in nanocrystalline thin films, a combination of automated crystal orientation mapping in microprobe STEM mode with in situ straining inside a TEM was developed. ACOM-TEM closes the gap between EBSD and BF/DFTEM by providing full orientation maps with nanometer resolution. The novel combination with in situ straining provided for the first time the possibility to directly image and quantify the structural changes of all crystallites in the ensemble of a thin film at the nanometer scale during mechanical deformation. It was used to characterize the metallographic changes during tensile deformation of a nanocrystalline Au thin film prepared by magnetron sputtering. The investigation of the grain size, grain orientation and twinning on a global (grain average over a micron sized area) and local (assembly of selected grains) scale allowed for the development of an in depth picture of the deformation processes. Grain boundary motion and local grain rotation were two of the processes acting to dissipate the applied stress. Additionally, twinning/detwinning occurred simultaneously during straining. These processes, which occurred locally already in the micro-plastic regime, led to global grain growth starting at the transition to the macro-plastic deformation regime.