Displacive Phase Transformations

Shear deformation and shuffling of atomic planes are elementary mechanisms of collective atomic motion that take place during displacive phase transformations. General displacements of atomic planes are examined, i.e. -surface type calculations extensively used for the stacking faults and crystal dislocations are applied to single plane shuffling and alternate shuffling of every other atomic plane producing in combination with homogeneous deformation the hcp structure (martensitic type) from the initial bcc structure (austenitic type). Similar approach considering shear type planar displacements leads to the Zener path between the bcc and fcc lattices. The effect of additional deformation required to obtain the close-packed atomic arrangements is examined as well. Finally, the influence of volume modification on phase transitions is investigated. The energies of various structural configurations are calculated using many-body potentials for the description of interatomic forces. Such atomic models are tested to check their suitability for investigation of the role of interfaces in the displacive structural transitions.