Recent uniaxial compression experiments on face-centered cubic metallic micro-crystals revealed their unique deformation behaviour as compared to the bulk situation. The distinctive behaviour includes size-dependent proof strength, intermittent plasticity during loading and creep, low steady-state creep rate, heterogeneous slip, limited dislocation accumulation, etc. This paper reviews the key experimental observations as well as modelling efforts for the underlying mechanisms.

Small Scale Plasticity – an ad hoc Review. K.S.Ng, A.H.W.Ngan: IOP Conference Series - Materials Science and Engineering, 2009, 4[1], 012002