Instability of plastic flow and dynamic recrystallization in Cu single crystals

Abstract The present paper shows the results of high temperature experiments performed on Cu single crystals. The crystals were deformed by rolling at 900°C with the rolling plane either parallel to {123} or 14° off the {111} crystal plane. In the former, slip events were evenly distributed in the samples. No recrystallization was then observed. For the crystals which were 14° off the {111} plane, the deformation was non-uniform and numerous shear bands were formed. It was found that the density of shear bands increased with strain, and recrystallization initiated within the shear bands. A model of dynamic recrystallization in crystals deforming by the shear band mode is discussed in terms of the structural features revealed by optical and electron microscopy.