Observation of dislocation dynamics in the electron microscope

Deformation experiments performed in situ in the transmission electron microscope have led to an increased understanding of dislocation dynamics. To illustrate the capability of this technique two examples will be presented. In the first example, the processes of work hardening in Mo at room temperature will be presented. These studies have improved our understanding of dislocation mobility, dislocation generation, and dislocation–obstacle interactions. In the second example, the interaction of matrix dislocations with grain boundaries will be described. From such studies predictive criteria for slip transfer through grain boundaries have been developed.