Post-yielding dislocation retraction of nano-lamellar TiAl single crystals

The perfect single crystal has ultra-high strength but is often accompanied by catastrophic failures after yielding.This study reveals that nano-lamellar TiAl single crystals alleviate the catastrophic failure due to a post-yielding dislocation retraction through atomistic simulations and theoretical analyses.This dislocation retraction leads to a retained post-yielding strength of1.03 to 2.33 GPa(about 50%of the yielding strength).It is shown that this dislocation retraction is caused by local stress relaxation and interface-mediated image force.The local stress relaxation is due to successive dislocation nucleation in different slip systems,and the interface-mediated image force is caused by the heterogeneous interface.Based on dislocation theory,this study demonstrates that the size effect also plays a vital role in dislocation retraction.Theoretical modeling shows that the dislocation retraction occurs when the lamellar thickness is less than approximately 12 nm.Additionally,the post-yielding dislocation retraction is more pronounced at higher temperatures,making it more effective in alleviating catastrophic failures.These findings demonstrate a viable option for avoiding catastrophic failure of single crystals through nanoscale-lamellar design.