Characteristics of Defects in Quenched β-Brass

Abstract

Defects in quenched β-brass have been studied by transmission electron microscopy. Irregularly-shaped dislocation loops are formed heterogeneously along antiphase domain boundaries. Isolated black spot defects are also formed inside antiphase domains besides these loops and their density is about 3×10¹⁹/m³. The process of ordering by vacancy mechanism and clustering of quenched-in vacancies have been examined by means of the Monte Carlo simulation by taking into account both quenching rate and binding energy of vacancies. It is shown that excess vacancies aggregate along an antiphase domain boundary in the course of ordering during quenching. A possibility of the formation of black spot defects is also discussed on the basis of the above simulation.