Dislocation - Grain Boundary Interaction in Nickel Bicrystals Evolution of the Resulting Defects under Thermal Treatment

ABSTRACTThe interactions between lattice dislocations and grain boundaries were studied in nickel bicrystals. Three types of grain boundaries, according to their energy, were investigated : singular σ3 {111}, vicinal near σ11 {311} and general near σ11 {332} grain boundaries. The experiments were performed by transmission electron microscopy using a set of techniques : conventional, weak beam, in situ and high resolution transmission electron microscopy. Dislocation transmission from one crystal to the other was only observed for σ3 {111} GB. It consists in a decomposition within the grain boundary of the trapped lattice dislocation followed by the emission of one partial in the neighbouring crystal. A high resolved shear stress is required to promote the emission process. Most often, the absorbed lattice dislocations or extrinsic grain boundary dislocations react with the intrinsic dislocation network giving rise to complex configurations. The evolutions with time and upon thermal treatment of these configurations were followed by in situ transmission electron microscopy. The evolution processes, which differ with the type of grain boundaries, were analyzed by comparison with the existing models for extrinsic grain boundary dislocation accommodation. They were tentatively interpretated on the basis of the grain boundary atomic structures and defects obtained by high resolution transmission electron microscopy studies.