A study of dislocation transmission through a grain boundary in hcp Ti-6Al using micro-cantilevers

The micro-cantilever method of examining grain boundaries is capable of yielding valuable information, especially when augmented by post mortem TEM analysis. Quantitative stress-strain data obtained from small regions at targeted grain boundaries can then be linked directly to the dislocation processes that have taken place during the grain boundary interaction. The analysis of slip step heights and numbers of dislocations of each Burgers vectors remaining in the foil afforded by the micro-cantilever structure allows a quantitative geometric analysis of the expected displacement at the grain boundary. This level of quantification for grain boundary ledge formation and grain boundary sliding is an attractive feature of this approach.132