We report experimental and three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics measurements
to characterize the effect of high starting dislocation density on size-affected flow.
Microcrystals were focused ion beam milled into a pre-strained bulk Ni single crystal to
obtain a dense heterogeneous dislocation cell structure. The strength-scaling exponent is
shown to decreases considerably with increasing dislocation density. Cutting the pre-
existing forest during microcrystal fabrication can lead to alternate pathways for the …