Microplasticity at room temperature of single-crystal titanium carbide with different stoichiometry

Single crystals of titanium carbide with a C-to-Ti range of 0.64 to 0.99 were plastically deformed at room temperature with a hardness indenter and a drill. The operating slip systems were determined by hardness anisotropy and transmission electron microscopy. The results were characteristic for bulk material deformation of TiC, below, as well as above, the brittle-to-ductile transition temperature. A typical low temperature behaviour is the formation of cracks and dislocation motion along the slip systems {1 1 0} 〈1 1 0〉 and {1 0 0} 〈1 1 0〉, which are both common in the rock-salt structure. The high temperature deformation is characterized by the slip system {1 1 1} 〈1 1 0〉. The degree of plastic deformation and the importance of the slip system {1 1 1} 〈1 1 0〉 increases as the C-to-Ti ratio decreases from 0.99 to 0.64.