Evolution of dislocation structure during deformation of γ-irradiated LiF crystals

The effect of γ irradiation on the mechanical characteristics and dislocation structure of slip bands in LiF crystals is studied at doses D⩽7.3×10⁸ R. Irradiation causes a substantial increase (up to a factor of 30) in the yield stress τ _y of the crystals, with τ _y ∝ D ^0.4 in the first approximation. The deformation shear increases in the slip bands of irradiated crystals, as do the densities of the screw and edge dislocation components, while the dislocation mean free paths decrease. Irradiation also raises the probability of twinning cross slip for screw dislocations. The observed effects are assumed to be related to the formation of a different kind of defects in the irradiated crystals, primarily clusters of implanted atoms. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1072–1075 (June 1997)