The effect of grain size on the stored energy of cold work as a function of strain for polycrystalline nickel

It is well known that both the distribution and density of dislocations are affected by grain boundaries and that the stored energy of deformation is e function of the density of dislocations. Thus, the grain size affects the stored energy of deformation. In general, a fine grain-sized material has a higher dislocation density than a coarse grain-sized material for a given plastic strain. This paper presents measurements of the total stored energy as a function of strain for a series of polycrystalline nickel specimens of different grain size. The aim is to determine how the stored energy of deformation from the geometrically-necessary dislocations contributes to the total stored energy of deformation as a function of the strain.