Plastic deformation of polycrystals of Co3(Al,W) with the L12structure

The plastic behaviour of Co3(Al,W) polycrystals with the L12 structure has been investigated in compression from 77 to 1273 K. The yield stress exhibits a rapid decrease at low temperatures (up to room temperature) followed by a plateau (up to 950 K), then it increases anomalously with temperature in a narrow temperature range between 950 and 1100 K, followed again by a rapid decrease at high temperatures. Slip is observed to occur exclusively on {111} planes at all temperatures investigated. The rapid decrease in yield stress observed at low temperatures is ascribed to a thermal component of solid-solution hardening that occurs during the motion of APB-coupled dislocations whose core adopts a planar, glissile structure. The anomalous increase in yield stress is consistent with the thermally activated cross-slip of APB-coupled dislocations from (111) to (010), as for many other L12 compounds. Similarities and differences in the deformation behaviour and operating mechanisms among Co3(Al,W) and other L12 compounds, such as Ni3Al and Co3Ti, are discussed.