Localised shear deformation of a material was usually identified as a particular feature of deformation inhomogeneity. Here, two different types of shear deformation-behaviour were shown that occurred in Au-Cu multilayers subjected to micro-indentation load, namely, a cooperative-layer-buckling-induced shear banding in a nanoscale multilayer and a direct localised shearing across a layer interface along a shear plane in a submicron-scale multilayer. Theoretical analysis  indicates that the formation of the two different types of shear deformation in the multilayers depends on a competition between the dislocation-pile-up-induced stress concentration at the layer interface and the barrier strength of the layer interface for glissile dislocation transmission.

Two Different Types of Shear-Deformation Behaviour in Au-Cu Multilayers. Y.P.Li, X.F.Zhu, J.Tan, B.Wu, G.P.Zhang: Philosophical Magazine Letters, 2009, 89[1], 66-74