Plastic Deformation of ZrB2 Single Crystals

The active slip planes, the Burgers vector, and the critical resolved shear stress to induce macroscopic deformation in ZrB₂ single crystals were determined. Room-temperature microhardness indentation and high-temperature uniaxial compression loadings were used to induce deformation. Slip occurred in a close-packed α direction on prismatic planes at room temperature and on the basal plane at high temperatures. The high-temperature yield stress and yield drop are discussed in terms of a Widmanstaetten-type precipitate observed in the crystals.