Deformation mechanisms in crystalline solids and Newtonian viscous behavior

The three principal mechanisms of plastic flow in crystalline solids at elevated temperature are crystal slip, grain boundary sliding, and diffusional flow. All three mechanisms involve the diffusion of atoms as the rate-controlling process, either in the lattice or in the grain boundary. Under the correct conditions of microstructure, temperature, and stress, each mechanism can lead to Newtonian-viscous behavior. That is, the strain rate increases linearly with the applied stress. In the case of crystal slip, Newtonian-viscous behavior is observed at very � low stresses and, in pure metals, is known as Harper-Dom (H-D) creep. This Newtonian behavior can also be observed in anisotropic crystalline solids that are deformed under thermal cycling conditions. The dislocation density and the stacking fault energy are important structural factors that contribute to crystal slip-controlled Newtonian flow. In the case of grain boundary sliding, Newtonian-viscous behavior is observed in fine-grained, solid solution alloys under conditions where grain-boundary sliding is accommodated by dislocation glide controlled by the diffusion of solute atoms. In the case of diffusional creep, which is rigorously described by the Nabarro-Herring (N-H) theory, the creep rate is controlled by grain size and by the rate of atom diffusion in the lattice and in the grain boundary. Deformation mechanism maps describe the conditions of dislocation density, grain size, stress, and temperature under which each deformation process can be expected to be rate-controlling