Kear-Wilsdorf Locks and Mechanical Properties of L12 Alloys

There is no generally accepted model of the atypical mechanical properties of L12 alloys such as the flow stress peak. Since its introduction in the early sixties, the so-called Kear-Wilsdorf (KW) lock has played a central role in the analysis of the mechanical properties of this category of alloys. We analyze the mechanical stability of a split configuration, intermediate between the superdislocation fully extended in the primary slip plane and the KW lock. The influence of composition on mechanical properties is stressed, based on experimental determinations of the flow stress dependencies upon load orientation when composition is varied.