Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 February 2012
Al–2.5% Mg alloy exhibits the Portevin–Le Chatelier (PLC) effect at room temperature for a wide range of strain rates. Tensile test has been carried out on a flat Al–2.5% Mg alloy sample at a strain rate of 3.7×10−6 s−1. The strain rate was chosen so that the type C PLC band appears in the sample. X-ray diffraction profile has been recorded from the gauge length portion of the deformed sample to investigate the microstructure of the PLC band. Analysis revealed that the dislocation density is much higher within the band compared to the undeformed sample even at small strain. The PLC band in this alloy possesses an equal fraction of screw and edge dislocations.