The slip modes of titanium and the effect of purity on their occurrence during tensile deformation of single crystals

Abstract Single-crystal test specimens of van Arkel titanium were obtained by a modification of the strain anneal technique.The modes of slip have been identified as (101̄0) 112̄0,(101̄1) 112̄0, and (0001) 112̄0. It has been shown that not only does the interstitial impurity affect the magnitude of the critical resolved shear stress but also the relative values for the three slip systems. (101̄0) is the principal slip system and is favoured by increasing purity. A possible mechanism for the role of oxygen and nitrogen in this effect is put forward wherein it is shown that the interstitial sites occupied are such that interstitial elements render slip more difficult on two of the three slip planes in titanium.