Revealing the Role of Cross Slip for Serrated Plastic Deformation in Concentrated Solid Solutions at Cryogenic Temperatures

Serrated plastic deformation is an intense phenomenon in CoCrFeMnNi at and below 35 K with stress amplitudes in excess of 100 MPa. While previous publications have linked serrated deformation to dislocation pile ups at Lomer–Cottrell (LC) locks, there exist two alternate models on how the transition from continuous to serrated deformation occurs. One model correlates the transition to an exponential LC lock density–temperature variation. The second model attributes the transition to a decrease in cross-slip propensity based on temperature and dislocation density. In order to evaluate the validity of the models, a unique tensile deformation procedure with multiple temperature changes was carried out, analyzing stress amplitudes subsequent to temperature changes. The analysis provides evidence that the apparent density of LC locks does not massively change with temperature. Instead, the serrated plastic deformation is likely related to cross-slip propensity.