In-situ TEM study of dislocation patterning during deformation in single crystal aluminum

The evolution of dislocation patterns in single crystal aluminum was examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). In-situ tensile tests of single crystals were carried out in a manner that activated double slip. Cross slip of dislocations, which is prominent in all stages of work hardening, plays an important role in dislocation motion and microstructural evolution. In spite of the limitations of in-situ straining to represent bulk phenomena, due to surface effects and the thickness of the samples, it is shown that experiments on prestrained samples can represent the early stages of deformation. Transition between stage I and stage II of work hardening and evolution during stage III were observed.