Slip trace characterisation of Ni3Al by atomic force microscopy.

ABSTRACTWe examined by atomic force microscope the slip traces produced on Ni3Al single crystals pre-deformed up to nearly 1% plastic strain at three temperatures in the anomaly domain: 293K, 500K and 720K. It is observed that, whatever the deformation temperature, the slip traces essentially belong to the primary octahedral slip system. The lengths of the slip lines become shorter and shorter with increasing temperature, while the number of dislocations that constitutes the lines is approximately constant. These results are interpreted in terms of a decreasing mean free path of the mobile dislocations when the temperature is raised. The implications of these results in the understanding of the flow stress anomaly are underscored.