In Situ Deformation of Olivine in the Transmission Electron Microscope: from Dislocation Velocity Measurements to Stress-Strain Curves

Abstract:

There is a growing consensus to recognize that rheological law established for olivine at high-temperature (ca. >1000°C) fail when extrapolated to low temperatures relevant for the lithospheric mantle. Hence it appears necessary to fit rheological laws against data at low temperatures where olivine tends to become more and more brittle. The usual approach consists in applying confining pressure to inhibit brittleness. Here we propose an innovative approach based on the use of very small samples and numerical modelling.

New commercial in situ TEM nanotensile testing equipment recently developed by Hysitron.Inc is combined with weak-beam dark-field TEM diffraction contrast imaging in order to obtain information on the elementary mechanisms controlling the plasticity of olivine: namely glide of [001] screw dislocations. The olivine tensile beams dedicated for in situ TEM nanomechanical testing were produced using microfabrication techniques based on MEMS-type procedures. The testing geometry was designed as to induce maximum resolved shear stresses on the [001](110) slip system. Under tensile loads between 2 and 3 GPa, ductile behaviour was reached with the development and propagation of dislocation loops across the sample allowing to measure the velocity of screw and non-screw dislocations as a function of stress. This information is introduced into a numerical model involving Dislocation Dynamics in order to obtain the stress-strain curves describing the mechanical response of olivine single crystals deformed in tension at room temperature.