Compressive and tensile deformation behavior of consolidated Fe

The deformation behavior was investigated in a consolidated Fe with a grain size ranging from submicrometer to tens of micrometer values under uniaxial compression and tension. In compression, shear banding occurred significantly at grain sizes >500 nm while only a single band was observed in samples with grain sizes of ∼100 nm. For the samples with grain sizes <∼800 nm, the shear banding took place at angles of 48–51°. When the grain sizes were >∼800 nm, the shear banding happened at an angle of 45° (in the maximum shear–stress plane). In tension, premature fracture happened in samples with grain sizes <1 μm while shear banding was observed at grain sizes >1 μm, and the shear banding angle was also close to 45°. For the samples with grain sizes > 2 μm, homogeneous deformation took over in compression with a yield-point phenomenon being observed, but Lüders banding localization occurred in tension.