Crystal Defects

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CRYSTAL DEFECTS

POINT DEFECTS An atom missing or is in an irregular place in the lattice structure.

LINE DEFECTS Groups of atoms in irregular positions. Dislocations : Areas where the atoms are out of position in the crystal structure. Generated and move when a pressure is applied. The motion allows slipplastic deformation to occur. Also known as line defects because the locus of defective points produced in the lattice by the dislocation lie along a line. Types: Screw and edge dislocations. 1) Edge Dislocations : Regarded as the insertion (or removal) of an extra half-plane of atoms in the crystal structure.

PLANAR DEFECTS The interfaces between homogeneous regions of the material. Types: Grain boundaries, stacking faults and twin boundaries.

1) Grain Boundaries :

Include self interstitial atoms, interstitial impurity atom, substitutional atoms and vacancies. 1) Self interstitial atom : An extra atom that has crowded its way into an interstitial void in the crystal structure. Occur only in low concentrations in metals because they distort and highly stress the tightly packed lattice structure. 2) Interstitial impurity atoms : Smaller than the atoms in the bulk matrix Fit into the open space between the bulk atoms of the lattice structure Example: the carbon atoms that are added to iron to make steel. 3) Substitutional impurity atoms : An atom of a different type than the bulk atoms, which has replaced one of the bulk atoms in the lattice.

Grains (number of crystallites) can range in size of 1nm-1mm across and their orientations are usually rotated with respect to neighboring grains. One grain stops and another begins is known as a grain boundary. Grain boundaries limit the lengths and motions of dislocation. The smaller grain (more grain boundary surface area) strengthens a material. The size of the grains can be controlled by the cooling rate when the material cast or heat treated (rapid cooling produces smaller grains whereas slow cooling result in larger grains). and

The dislocation in the top half of the crystal is slipping one plane at a time as it moves to the right from its position in image (a) to its position

2) Stacking Faults Twin Boundaries :

Usually close in size to the bulk atom. Example : zinc atom in brass 4) Vacancies : Empty spaces where an atom should be but is missing. They are common, especially at high temperatures when atoms are frequently and randomly change their positions leaving behind empty lattice sites. Example: occur in most cases diffusion (mass transport by atomic motion).

in image (b) and finally image (c). In the process of slipping one plane at a time the dislocation propagates across the crystal. The movement of the dislocation across the plane eventually causes the top half of the crystal to move with respect to the bottom half. However, only a small fraction of the bonds are broken at any given time. Movement in this manner requires a much smaller force than breaking all the bonds across the middle plane simultaneously. 2) Screw Dislocations : The motion of a screw dislocation is a result of shear stress, but the defect line movement is perpendicular to direction of stress and the atom displacement, rather than parallel.

A stacking fault is a one or two layer interruption in the stacking sequence of atom planes. Stacking faults occur in a number of crystal structures, but it is easiest to see how they occur in close packed structures. If a stacking fault does not corrects itself immediately but continues over some number of atomic spacing, it will produce a second stacking fault that is the twin of the first one.

Graph ofG against Xv

The lower image shows the plane of atoms just above the rip. The atoms represented by the blue circles have not yet moved from their original position. The atoms represented by the red circles have moved to their new position in the lattice and have reestablished metallic bonds. The atoms represented by the green circles are in the process of moving. It can be seen that only a portion of the bonds are broke at any given time. Like edge dislocations, movement in this manner requires a much smaller force than breaking all the bonds across the middle plane simultaneously.

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