Mechanisms of Solid-Solution Hardening of Single-Phase Cu-Al and Cu-Mn Alloys with a Mesh Dislocation Substructure

The dislocation structure and dislocation accumulation during deformation of polycrystalline FCC solid solutions of Cu-Al and Cu-Mn systems are studied by transmission diffraction electron microscopy. The Al content in Cu-Al alloys varies from 0.5 to 14 at.%. The Mn content in Cu-Mn alloys varies in the range of 0.4 ÷ 25 at.%. Alloys with a grain size in the range of 20 ÷ 240 µm are studied. The alloy samples are deformed by stretching at a rate of 2×10-2c-1 to failure at 293 K. The structure of samples deformed to various degrees of deformation is studied on foils using electron microscopes at an accelerating voltage of 125 kV. For each degree of deformation, the scalar dislocation density and its components are measured: statistically stored dislocations ρS and geometrically necessary dislocations ρG and some other parameters of the defective structure. The mechanisms and their contributions due to mesh and mesh-mesh dislocation substructures (DSS) are determined using the example of substructural and solid-solution hardening in polycrystalline Cu-Al and Cu-Mn alloys. The relative role of various mechanisms in the formation of the resistance to deformation of alloys at different grain sizes is determined. The role of the packaging defect energy on the value of solid-solution hardening for different grain sizes is revealed. The average scalar dislocation density is considered and determined along with its components: statistically stored dislocations ρS and geometrically necessary dislocations ρG. The dependences of the flow stress on the square root of the densities of geometrically necessary dislocations and the densities of statistically stored dislocations are found.