Variation in electromagnetic radiation during plastic deformation under tension and compression of metals

This paper presents some significant variations in the intermittent electromagnetic radiation (EMR) during plastic deformation under tension and compression of some metals with selected crystal structure, viz. zinc, hexagonal closed packed (hcp), copper, face-centred cubic (fcc: stacking fault energy 0.08 J/m²), aluminium (fcc: stacking fault energy 0.2 J/m²) and 0.18 % carbon steel, body-centred cubic (bcc). The intermittent EMR signals starting near yielding are either oscillatory or exponential under both modes of deformation except a very few intermediate signals, random in nature, in zinc under compression. The number and amplitude of EMR signals exhibit marked variations under tension and compression. The smooth correlation between elastic strain energy release rate and average EMR energy release rate suggests a novel technique to determine the fracture toughness of metals. The first EMR emission amplitude and EMR energy release rate occurring near the yield increase, but maximum EMR energy burst frequency decreases almost linearly with increase in Debye temperature of the metals under tension while all EMR parameters decrease nonlinearly under compression. These results can be developed into a new technique to evaluate dislocation velocity. The EMR amplitude and energy release rate of the first EMR emission vary parabolically showing a maxima with increase in electronic heat constant of the metals under tension while they first sharply decrease and then become asymptotic during compression. However, the variation in EMR maximum energy burst frequency is apparently similar under both modes of deformation. These results strongly suggest that the mechanism of EMR emission during plastic deformation of metals involves not only the interaction of conduction electrons with the lattice periodic potential as presented in the previous theoretical models but also the interaction of conduction electrons with phonons. However, during crack propagation and fracture, charge oscillations at fractured surfaces due to breaking of atomic bonds constitute an additional factor.