Transmission electron microscopic observations were made of stacking faults (SFs) and their interactions with pyramidal dislocations, in plastically deformed polycrystalline pure magnesium. Well-defined fringes were observed as well as streaking in diffraction patterns; typical of SFs. The basal SFs were decorated by a large number of dark speckles, which were created by interaction with pyramidal dislocations that had both <c> and <a> components as revealed by a contrast analysis. The SFs do not appear to result from the splitting of unit dislocations, as the SFs were relatively wide and no dislocation nodes were observed. By tilting the specimen systematically inside the transmission electron microscope, the SFs and the associated dislocations in Mg were found to exhibit a rich variety of features in terms of their morphology and diffraction contrast.

Transmission Electron Microscopy Study of Stacking Faults and Their Interaction with Pyramidal Dislocations in Deformed Mg. B.Li, P.F.Yan, M.L.Sui, E.Ma: Acta Materialia, 2010, 58[1], 173-9