Neutron diffraction was used to examine residual strains and deformation texture related to
Luders bands phenomenon in uniaxially deformed mild steel samples. Samples of two different thickness, 1.5 mm (thin) and 3.0 mm (thick), were uniaxially deformed to between 0.5 % and 20 % engineering strain, followed by unloading. The shape and texture of the Luders
bands depended on the sample thickness. Neutron diffraction texture measurements indicated that there was little texture within the Luders
bands in the thicker samples. There was, however, significant texture in the Luders
bands of the thinner samples, and this same texture intensified once the Luders
bands covered the entire sample and up to 20 % deformation. The residual strains in the Luders
bands were similar for both sample thicknesses. In the
bands the {2 0 0} planes exhibited the largest intergranular strain; even at only 1 % deformation, the {2 0 0} strain in the Luders
band was very high (400
με). These high {2 0 0} strains were present only in the transverse and normal directions, with essentially no {2 0 0} strain in the rolling (applied stress) direction. Intergranular strains in the {2 2 0} and {2 1 1} were much lower and displayed much less variation with sample direction. In all samples the intergranular strains were essentially constant in the
bands until the
bands had propagated fully across the sample (
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5 % ) after this there was a small but progressive increase in the intergranular strains up to 20 % deformation.
