Work hardening of polycrystalline copper and alpha brasses

Abstract

AbstractThe stress dependence of the activation volume was studied over a range of strains in polycrystalline alpha brasses of various grain sizes containing 10, 15, 20, and 30 at.-%Zn, and in polycrystalline Cu of 4N and 5N purities at 77, 200, and 290 K. The data show that solute atoms are effective obstacles to dislocation glide only up to small percentage values of uniaxial strain; conventional work hardening, i.e. forest cutting, determines the flow stress at higher strains.