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APL 102

Defects in Crystals – Line & 2D defects and Energy

Concepts: mixed disl., props. & energy of disl., partial disl., disl. density, grain
boundary
Lecture 18
 Screw dislocation Recap Edge & Screw dislocations
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t Comparison
b
` `
` ` `
` ` `
` ` `
` `
` ` `
` `
` `
` `
` `
` `
` `
` ` Q
` P `
` ` `
` ` `
` `
`
`
` ` ` Shear stress
` ` `
`
around dislocation
 Recap
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Motion of dislocations
Conservative On the slip plane
Motion of (Glide)
Edge
dislocation Non-conservative
 to the slip plane
(Climb)
Positive climb Negative climb

Motion of Screw dislocation – cross-slip

Slip plane 2

Slip plane 1 b
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Mixed dislocation
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Mixed dislocation

D
C
E
A
F B
 
Direction and magnitude of remains same.
b
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It is invariant, doesn’t change with the
location

v
v
v v v In between it can be
v
v v partially screw and edge
v v 
v
v
Since bb vector can be resolved
v
v
v
v
v

Pure Edge

Pure screw

Unlike straight dislocation, here tt vector is changing
 Mixed dislocation
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http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/def_en/kap_5/backbone/r5_1_2.html
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See how the character of a dislocation line is changing from
place to place

b
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b t

b

Boundary is dislocation line: thus inside the loop slipped part

while outside the loop unslipped part
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Motion of mixed dislocation

 Motion of Mixed dislocation
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We are looking at the plane of the cut (sort of a semicircle centered in the lower left corner). Blue circles
denote atoms just below, red circles atoms just above the cut. Up on the right the dislocation is a pure edge
dislocation on the lower left it is pure screw. In between it is mixed.

http://www.tf.uni-kiel.de/matwis/amat/def_en/kap_5/backbone/r5_1_2.html
 Slip motion of mixed dislocations
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 Slip motion of mixed dislocations
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 Slip motion of mixed dislocations
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 Slip motion of mixed dislocations
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 Slip motion of mixed dislocations
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The direction of motion of dislocation is always perpendicular to t

(irrespective of b): Edge, screw and mixed
 Slip plane for screw dislocation
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Slip plane is uniquely defined for the edge and the mixed
dislocation but it is not so for the screw dislocation

Why is it not so for screw dislocation?

t
b
Because b and t are parallel, hence it is just one vector which can
pass through any number of planes
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Key properties of Dislocations

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Vectorial sum of the Burgers vector of

dislocations meeting at a point (node)
is zero

A node is the intersection point of

more than two dislocations
 Key properties of Dislocations
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 A dislocation line cannot end abruptly in the crystal

 Ends in a node

 Ends at the surface (could be internal or external)

 Closes on itself as a loop

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Dislocations are non-equilibrium defects and would leave the

crystal, if given an opportunity
 Energy of dislocations
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 Dislocations have distortion energy associated with them

 Edge → Compressive and tensile strains fields
Screw → Shear strains
 E per unit length
Elastic E
Energy of
dislocation Non-elastic (Core) ~E/10

1 2
Energy of a dislocation / unit length E  Gb
2
G → () shear modulus
b → |b|
This is analogous to elastic energy stored in the material
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Dislocations which have minimum possibleb will be the most

stable ones because they will have minimum energy per unit length

Dislocations will tend to have as small ab as possible

Now think…
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Question for thought

What is the smallest displacement one could do in various

crystals?
 Burgers vectors of dislocations in cubic crystals
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Monoatomic FCC ½<110>

Monoatomic BCC ½<111>
Monoatomic SC <100>
NaCl type structure ½<110>
CsCl type structure <100>
DC type structure ½<110>
 Dislocations in ionic crystals
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 In ionic crystals if there is an extra half-plane of atoms contained only

atoms of one type then the charge neutrality condition would be violated
 unstable condition

 Burgers vector has to be a full lattice translation

CsCl
CsCl → b = <100> Cannot be ½<111>
NaCl → b = ½ <110> Cannot be ½<100>

 This makes Burgers vector large in ionic crystals

CsCl → |b| = 2.55 Å
NaCl → |b| = 3.95 Å
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As the periodic force field of a crystal requires that atoms must

move from one equilibrium position to another  b must connect
one lattice position to another (for a full dislocation)

Full b → Full lattice translation

Dislocations
(in terms of lattice translation) Partial b → Fraction of lattice translation
 Partial dislocations
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 Interaction of dislocations
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 Dislocations-dislocation interactions

 Dislocation-point imperfection interaction

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Interaction of dislocations with Point imperfections

Vacancy

Interstitial

Substitutional: Small and large atom

The purpose of interaction is to lower the strains in the crystal:

lower the free energy of the crystal
 Defect Concentration
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Vacancy Concentration – f (T)

Dislocation Density () – Processes

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Question for thought

What is dislocation density?

 Dislocation density
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Density of dislocations () in a crystal

Total length of the dislocation line per unit volume of the crystal
(mm-3) or m-2

Annealed crystal (crystal kept at high temperature) has a dislocation

density of  = ~108 – 1010 /m2 (~105 Km)

Cold worked crystal :  = ~ 1012 – 1014 mm-3