Nano-indentation creep behaviour of Ni at room temperature was modeled based upon the obstacle-controlled dislocation glide mechanism. Using the model, the effects of two important materials parameters viz. the activation free energy required by dislocation to overcome an obstacle without any aid from external stress, ΔF and the athermal flow strength, τ0, which was the flow strength of solids at 0K were systematically studied. It was found that ΔF played a dominant role in room temperature creep properties of Ni. The role of ΔF was particularly dominant in determining the time dependent deformation. On the other hand, role of τ0 was more crucial in the case of instantaneous deformation.

Modeling of the Effects of Athermal Flow Strength and Activation Energy for Dislocation Glide on the Nanoindentation Creep of Nickel Thin Film at Room Temperature. A.S.M.A.Haseeb: Computational Materials Science, 2006, 37[3], 278-83