PROBING THE INITIAL STAGES OF PLASTICITY WITH NANOINDENTATION

摘要

The probed volumes in nanoindentation can be comparable to the characteristic length scales of some of the defect configurations that control early-stage plastic deformation in metals. Representative examples from work carried out with my collaborators will be reviewed with a view to shedding light on the elementary processes associated with the transition from elastic to plastic deformation. Among the topics to be discussed are: homogeneous versus heterogeneous dislocation nucleation, nucleation versus activation of pre-existing dislocations, effects of source density, pinning by interstitial elements, and influence of crystal structure.