The influence of microstructure on the mechanical response of copper in shear

Shear localization is often a failure mechanism in materials subjected to high strain rate loading. While the constitutive behavior of copper has been extensively studied, the influence of cold work, strain rate, and temperature on the microstructural development in Cu under shear loading conditions has received less systematic quantification. The purpose of this study is to quantify the mechanical response and the microstructural evolution of as-annealed and cryogenically rolled copper loaded dynamically in shear and to understand the mechanisms controlling shear deformation as well as the role of stored defects due to cryo-rolling on shear localization. It was found that localization is promoted in the cryo-rolled copper as compared to the as-annealed material and this instability is linked to stored defect structure specific to the cryo-rolled microstructure and its influence on the subsequent defect generation and storage in dynamically loaded Cu.