On the Fundamental Mechanism of Large Strain Plastic Deformation: Electron Microscopy of Metal Cutting Chips

The process of large strain plastic deformation, such as commonly found in the machining process, has been investigated by transmission and scanning electron microscopy techniques. The lamella-shear front nature of deformation in copper and aluminum chips has been elucidated fully and the occurrence of lamellae has been correlated with crystallographic and metal cutting parameters.