A brittle-fracture methodology for three-dimensional visualization of ductile deformation micromechanisms

An improved experimental methodology is developed and successfully evaluated to visualize deformation-induced microevents in ductile sheet metal. This easy-to-use methodology consists in a well-controlled brittle separation of samples previously deformed in a ductile manner, whereby a coupled-analysis of the two fracture surfaces permits three-dimensional features to be recombined from the ductile predeformation. The results obtained show a wealth of information regarding grain deformations, microvoid nucleation sites and growth mechanisms, and other microevents induced by ductile deformation. © 2009 Acta Materialia Inc