Tensile behavior of columnar grained Cu with preferentially oriented nanoscale twins Original Research Article

By means of direct current electrodeposition nanoscale twins confined within microsized columnar grains of bulk Cu samples have been synthesized which are preferentially oriented parallel to the growth plane. Tensile tests of the as-deposited Cu samples showed that yield strength increased with decreasing twin thickness, while the work hardening capacity and the uniform tensile ductility decreased at smaller grain sizes. Detailed microstructure investigations suggest that columnar grained Cu samples exhibit inhomogeneous deformation during uniaxial tension, where grain boundaries take much larger plastic strain than that sustained by grain interiors.