QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF STAGE 3 HARDENING OF SILVER SINGLE CRYSTALS

The analysis of the temperature and strain rate dependence of stage III hardening of silver single crystals of a middle orientation has shown that the hardening curve can be described by an expression of the form θII/θ - 1 = (τ/τH)ρ, whereby θ = dτ/da is the slope of the stress strain curve, θII is its slope in stage II. The parameters τH and ρ were determined as a function of temperature and strain rate. The comparison of this empirical equation with the theoretical expressions derived from cross-slip theory leads to an interpretation of stage III on the basis of the cross-slip theory. It is concluded that different definitions of the τIII-rmmi-point can strongly infuence the results of a τIII-analysis. © 1969.