Defects in Crystals and Plastic Deformation

Plastic deformation in metals takes place by a process of slip on certain crystal planes under the action of a shear stress. The slip planes are those of greatest atomic packing and slip across a slip plane occurs in specific directions, namely the lines of greatest atom density. The combination of a slip plane and a slip direction is termed a slip system. Table 1Full size table (Refer to Chapter 2 for details of planes and directions.)