Edge dislocation

 Often to visualize the edge dislocation, only the extra ‘half’-plane and slip plane are
shown. The remaining crystal is hidden away.
 The intersection of the extra half-plane and slip plane can be visualized as the dislocation
line (one of the two possible directions is represents the line vector- shown in blue colour).


t
Dislocation line


b
Edge Dislocation Glide Motion of an edge dislocation leading to the formation of a step (of ‘b’)

Shear stress
Note that locally bonds get
reorganized when a dislocation
moves (the extra half-plane does
not move as a ‘whole’!)

Surface step
(atomic dimensions)
A dislocation illustrated: In a
perfect crystal (a, not shown) cut
partway through and then:
Edge Dislocation: an extra half
plane of atoms is inserted.
(b) The bottom edge of the extra
half plane is an edge
dislocation.
(c) A Burgers vector b is required to
close a loop of equal atom
spacings around the edge
dislocation.

 Screw Dislocation: skewing the

crystal by one atom spacing.
 The perfect crystal is cut and sheared
one atom spacing (b) and (c).
 The line along which shearing occurs
is a screw dislocation.
 Burgers vector b: Required to close
a loop of equal atom spacings around
the screw dislocation.
 Screw dislocation

Slip Plane

Notes:
The figure shows a Right Handed Screw (RHS) dislocation (RHS is structurally distinct from LHS).
As for the edge dislocation the Burgers circuit has to be drawn far away from the dislocation line.
Let us consider a ‘quarter’ of a loop

Pure screw Pure Edge

Except for points S and E the remaining portion of the dislocation line has a mixed character
 Motion of a
screw
dislocation
leading to a
step of b

Note: Schematic diagrams

 Dislocation Motion
 Dislocation moves along slip plane in slip direction
perpendicular to dislocation line
 Slip direction same direction as Burgers vector

Edge dislocation

Screw dislocation
 Plastic Deformation (Metals)

1. Initial 2. high load 3. Unload

bonds
stretch planes
& planes still

shear sheared

E+ P P

F
F
Plastic means permanent! initially
linear linear
elastic elastic
P
