Formation of partial dislocations during intersection of glide dislocations with Frank loops in f.c.c. lattices

Interactions of moving dislocations with Frank loops in quenched or irradiated materials can result in either coalescence or intersection reactions. The latter lead to the formation of partial dislocations associated with the resulting half loops. Alloy stacking fault energy (SFE) and specific deformation conditions are shown to control the reaction of the partial dislocations with the half loops. Based on this analysis, a partial dislocation mechanism is proposed that allows explanation of partial unfaulting, stacking fault extension, and twin formation, previously observed during plastic deformation of irradiated austenitic stainless steel.