On the resolved shear stress in compressed crystals

Abstract

It is recalled that the well-known expression for resolved shear stress, τ = F/A cos ø cos Λ, presupposes that the crystal is a right prism. When a crystal deforms by single slip in compression, it becomes a ‘learning’ prism, and the state of stress within it becomes inhomogeneous and complex. This expression is then applicable only to regions of the crystal where the stress is uniform, and estimates are made of the limits of applicability of this equation to compression test specimens of conventional geometry.