Deformation of polysynthetically twinned crystals of TiAl with a nearly stoichiometric composition

Abstract

Polysynthetically twinned crystals of TiAl with a nearly stoichiometric composition have been grown and deformed in compression at room temperature. The yield stress and deformation behaviour depend strongly on the angle between the twin boundaries and the compression axis rather than on the crystallographic orientation of the compression axis. The yield stress is high when compression is perpendicular or parallel to the twin boundaries, and is generally very low for specimens where the twin boundaries are at an intermediate angle to the compression axis. The ratio of the highest to the lowest values of yield stress is almost 8:1. This large difference in yield stress has been found to be related to the difference in the deformation mode; for compression perpendicular or parallel to the twin boundaries, shear deformation always occurs across them while, for compression at an intermediate angle, shear deformation is parallel to the boundaries. The former mode of deformation is much harder than the latter. The reason for this has been discussed in terms of macroscopic crystal plasticity and the compatibility requirements imposed at the twin boundaries.