The transformation of narrow dislocation dipoles in selected fcc metals and in γ-TiAl Original Research Article

Transformations of vacancy dipoles of dissociated edge dislocations are analyzed in Cu, Ni and γ-TiAl by molecular dynamics. Dipole heights up to 20 {1 1 1} interplanar distances are investigated at temperatures ranging from 0 K to near the melting points of Cu and Ni and slightly below the upper boundary of the single phase γ-TiAl domain. Three model configurations, hollows, vertical compact and inclined dipoles, are considered and their relative stabilities compared. Except for dipoles one interplanar distance high, hollows are either metastable or unstable and they are never formed by mutually approaching dipolar dislocations. The three configurations transform into a variety of height- and temperature-dependent layouts including cores containing ordered free volumes, zigzagged faulted dipoles and agglomerated stacking-fault tetrahedra (SFT). At the highest temperatures, small individual SFTs are formed by short-range pipe-diffusion along the dipole cores. There is no critical height below which small-height dipoles or their debris would just simply disappear.