Stable stacking faults bounded by frank partial dislocations in Al7075 formed through precipitate and dislocation interactions

Through high-resolution electron microscopy, stacking faults (SFs) due to Frank partial dislocations were found in an aluminum alloy following deformation with low strain and strain rate, while also remaining stable during artificial aging. Extrinsic stacking faults were found surrounded by dislocation areas and precipitates. An intrinsic stacking fault was found between two Guinier-Preston II (GP II) zones when the distance of the two GP II zones was 2 nm. Defects (precipitates and dislocations) are considered to have an influence on the formation of the SFs, as their appearance may cause local strain and promote the gathering of vacancies to lower the energy.