Anomalies in the temperature dependence of the yield stress of metals at low temperatures

Abstract

Yield stress "anomalies" have been studied in polycrystalline nickel at low temperatures. Both quantum effects and structural changes below 0.1–0.2 of the Debye temperature contribute to low-temperature anomalies in the temperature dependence of the yield stress. The anomalies appear to be basically a consequence of the effect of zero-point vibrations on the rates of transition in the localized process of activation. An attempt is made to explain the anomalies by introducing a "strain-enhancement" effect, i.e., f(T), semiempirically in the logrithmic creep equation [Formula: see text] where Teff = T0 + AT2 (T0 and A are constants), which allows for quantum effects below a certain temperature.