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Cross-sectional observations of the deformation bands formed during in situ tensile observation at the free surface of both ultralow- and low-carbon lath martensitic steels were conducted. The cross-sectional observations clearly revealed the formation of steps along substructure boundaries of the ultralow-carbon lath martensite during deformation. In contrast, severe undulation indicating strain accumulation was observed in the vicinity of high-angle boundaries for the low-carbon lath martensite, and no clear steps were formed along substructure boundaries, even though small filmlike ferrites were found. The “greasy-film” mechanism proposed by Maresca [Maresca et al., Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering 24(2016)025006, Maresca and Curtin, Acta Materialia 134(2017)302] as well as the plastic instability theory proposed by Dao and Asaro [Dao and Asaro: Mech. Mater., 23(1996)71] was examined considering the non-Schmid effects and the anisotropic activation of slip systems in lath martensite.

The development of a martensitic structure in a low-carbon and low-alloy steel was characterized using in situ confocal laser microscopy, high-speed photography and crystallographic analysis, including the nature of variant selection. The initial stage of transformation involves the partitioning of the austenite grain into packets, after which the rate of transformation is gradual. The crystallographic orientation of the plates that form is not random, but involves selection determined by the relationship between the shape deformation direction and the free surface. The vicinity of austenite grain and twin boundaries, and martensite/austenite interfaces also affect variant selection.

Electron backscattering diffraction patterns were used to investigate the relationship between local deformation behavior and the crystallographic features of as-quenched lath martensite of low-carbon steel during uniform elongation in tensile tests. The slip system operating during the deformation up to a strain of 20% was estimated by comparing the crystal rotation of each martensite block after deformation of 20% strain with predictions by the Taylor and Sachs models. The results indicate that the in-lath-plane slip system was preferentially activated compared to the out-of-lath-plane system up to this strain level. Further detailed analysis of crystal rotation at intervals of approximately 5% strain confirmed that the constraint on the operative slip system by the lath structure begins at a strain of 8% and that the local strain hardening of the primary slip systems occurred at approximately 15% strain.

Void formation in nanocrystalline Cu thin films with a grain size of 100 nm during uniaxial tensile relaxation experiments is quantitatively studied. Cu thin films with a two-dimensional fiber structure were deposited on heat-resistant polyimide substrates and subject to various subcritical uniform uniaxial tensile strains at an elevated temperature (∼0.3Tm), to observe void formations in nanocrystalline metals with a reduced amount of dislocation-based deformation. Microstructural observations were carried out at several stages of deformation, and the evolutions of void formation in subcritical strain levels are quantitatively discussed. A void formation model is proposed for approximating the nucleation and growth rate of voids. The resulting model shows a reasonable agreement with the observed number density and area fraction of voids for various strain levels and grain sizes. On the basis of the results, the stress and grain size dependences of the void formation process are further discussed.