On the effect of persistent slip band (PSB) parameters on fatigue life: Cao, W.-D. and Conrad, H. Fatigue Fract. Eng. Mater. Struct. June 1992 15, (6), 573–583

Abstract

We study the mechanisms of slip transfer at a grain boundary, in titanium, using Differential Aperture X-ray Laue Micro-diffraction (DAXM). This 3D characterisation tool enables measurement of the full (9-component) Nye lattice curvature tensor and calculation of the density of geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs). We observe dislocation pile-ups at a grain boundary, as the neighbour grain prohibits easy passage for dislocation transmission. This incompatibility results in local micro-plasticity within the slipping grain, near to where the slip planes intersect the grain boundary, and we observe bands of GNDs lying near the grain boundary. We observe that the distribution of GNDs can be significantly influenced by the formation of grain boundary ledges that serve as secondary dislocation sources. This observation highlights the non-continuum nature of polycrystal deformation and helps us understand the higher order complexity of grain boundary characteristics.