Structure of copper subjected to changes of the loading scheme during rolling

The study presents some experimental data on the externally controlled copper structure. Samples have been subjected to rolling under conditions of a change of the loading scheme (Cyclicform method) and investigated to identify their structural reactions. It has been found that the applied procedure induces a different behavior of the metal when compared with that obtained at the monotonic deformation by conventional rolling. The above result has been attributed to the destabilization of the dislocation substructure which occurs during the change of the loading scheme and which leads to domination of shear banding, low-energy consuming mechanism of plastic flow. On the other hand, the shear bands as the privileged sites of the nucleation of grains during recrystallization determine the formation of a structure with considerably finer size of grains in comparison with that observed in conventionally rolled and annealed copper.