Structural Investigation of Size Effects in Plasticity using Indentation ...

A Microstructural investigation of the volume beneath nanoindentations
Studying the imprints with loads below 1 mN yielded slightly different results
(see Figure A.6). In the same way as observed for high load imprints, two sections
(denoted by I and II) separated by an arrangement of geometrically necessary dislocations
can be found. Information about the orientation changes are shown in
the added 112 pole figure. As can be seen, section I is rotated counterclockwise
around a 112 rotation axis, whereas section II is twisted clockwise. No region
below the indenter tip containing an opposite twisted deformation pattern, comparable
to those found at the high load imprint in section III, could be observed. The
deformation-induced pattern of section II rather extends to the indenter tip.
Figure A.6: Misorientation map and 112 pole figure of a 0.5 mN imprint. The insets show
the deformation pattern and rotational direction of a region containing the
indenter flank and the indenter tip.
In order to obtain information about the orientation distribution across the indentation
flank, the misorientation along lines tilted 50 to the sample surface was
measured. This angle was chosen to get a misorientation profile only through section
II, not across the boundary between sections I and II. The resulting misorientation
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