Application of electron channelling contrast to the investigation of strain localization effects in cyclically deformed fcc crystals

The dislocation substructure and the glide activity in cyclically deformed nickel single crystals have been studied using the channelling contrast of backscattered electrons in a scanning electron microscope. Dislocation arrangements which arise in the saturation region after cyclic loading at room temperature and at one elevated temperature are considered. The electron channelling contrast technique is shown to be a useful instrument for the qualitative and quantitative characterization of the dislocation pattern on a macroscopic and a mesoscopic scale. The correlation between the specific dislocation structure in persistent slip bands (PSBs) and the localized glide activity of PSBs and PSB macrobands are considered.