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A Learner’s Guide
A Learner’s Guide
AN INTRODUCTORY E-BOOK
http://home.iitk.ac.in/~anandh/E-book.htm
Core of the dislocation and the Peierls Stress
Near the dislocation line the stress fields and associated strains are so large that linear elasticity
theory breaks down → this region is known as the core of the dislocation.
The minimum shear stress required to move a dislocation is the Peierls stress can be
visualized as a lattice friction.
For all practical purposes it is equivalent to the Critical Resolved Shear Stress (CRSS) (except
for the T aspect).
The lattice friction stress* or the Peierls Stress is a sensitive function of the structure of the
core.
The structure of the core is determined by the bonding in the crystal and the crystal structure.
When the core is planar (lies on the slip plane) the Peierls stress can be described by an
exponential function. When the core is non-planar then atomistic calculations are required to
calculate the Peierls stress (e.g. screw dislocations in BCC materials).
The original model is due to Peierls and Nabarro (PN) wherein they derived the lattice friction
stress as an exponential function of the ‘width of the dislocation’ and the Burgers vector (as
below).
◘ In their model the width (w) is the ‘effective extent; of the dislocation.
◘ ‘Wider dislocations’ have a lower PN stress
◘ Different slip systems have different values of Peierls stress
Understanding the origin of the Peierls stress:
◘ The dislocation is in a local metastable equilibrium → sits in a Peierls valley
◘ Stress has to be applied to ‘pull’ the dislocation out of the valley (→ into the next valley)
Extreme
situations
s ti c
eali
r
Un
Effect of w on PN
w 0 b 5b 10b
PN G G / 400 G / 1014 G / 1027
Hence,
► narrow dislocations are more difficult to move than wide ones
► dislocations with larger b are more difficult to move
Though the Peierls original formula has been superseded by more sophisticated theoretical
models and computational calculations; it worthwhile noting that if the core of the dislocation is
planar then the Peierls stress can be described by an exponential function similar to the one
originally conceived by Peierls.
Additionally, a better feel can obtained for the PN stress by connecting the width of the
dislocation to the bonding characteristics of the material.
Core splitting in BCC crystal is well studied by atomistic computational methods.
If the core is planar, then the width can be related to the interplanar spacing (d): w = d/(1)
Equation (1) in conjunction with above implies that ‘d’ should be large slip will occur on
widely spaced planes (usually close packed planes are widely spaced).
Also, equation (1) implies that ‘b’ should be small this implies slip along close packed
direction.
Hence, in metals like Cu slip occurs along close packed planes along close packed
directions.
Dependence of width of the dislocation on bonding of crystals
Nature of chemical bonding in the crystal determines the → extent of relaxation & the width of the dislocation
Covalent crystals
Strong and directional bonds → small relaxation (low w) → high PN
Usually fail by brittle fracture before PN is reached
Metallic crystals
Weaker and non-directional bonds → large relaxation (high w) → low PN
E.g. Cu can be cold worked to large strains
Transition metals (e.g. Fe) have some covalent character due to ‘d’ orbital bonding → harder than Cu
Ionic crystals
Moderate and non- directional bonds
Surface cracks usually lead to brittle fracture
Large b (NaCl: b = 3.95Å) → more difficult to move
Intermetallic compounds / complex crystal structures
Intermetallic compounds and complex crystal structures (Fe 3C, CuAl2) do not have good slip systems
→ favorable planes & directions → usually brittle Ordered compounds may have very large b
In CuZn (an ordered compound) dislocations move in pairs to preserve the order during slip
Quasicrystals have 4, 5 or 6 dimensional b and the 3D component is not sufficient to cause slip in the
usual sense