Effect of stacking fault energy on plastic deformation of nanocrystalline face-centered cubic metals

The effect of stacking fault energy (SFE) on the tensile stress–strain behavior of nanocrystalline face-centered cubic (fcc) metals was investigated. The stacking fault energy of nickel was decreased by alloying with copper or iron. It was found that, as predicted by a recent simulation study, decreasing the SFE increases the strain hardening rate of the nanocrystalline fcc metals. The effect was more pronounced in the nickel–copper alloy, which had a smaller average grain size.