Plastic Deformation of ZrB2 Single Crystals

Abstract

The active slip planes, the Burgers vector, and the critical resolved shear stress to induce macroscopic deformation in ZrB2 single crystals were determined. Room-temperature microhardness indentation and high-temperature uniaxial compression loadings were used to induce deformation. Slip occurred in a close-packed α direction on prismatic planes at room temperature and on the basal plane at high temperatures. The high-temperature yield stress and yield drop are discussed in terms of a Widmanstaetten-type precipitate observed in the crystals.