Micro-cracks in samples subjected to indentation at room temperature were studied by transmission electron microscopy. The micro-cracks were shown to grow on {0¯1•1} pyramidal planes and in the slip-bands of 2c + a super-dislocations on {20•1} and {11•1} pyramidal planes. It was found that, due to the formation of a slip band in the basal plane at a micro-crack tip, the propagating micro-crack became step-like rather than straight. It was shown that a micro-crack could nucleate at the line of intersection of {11•1} pyramidal and {0¯1•1} prismatic planes.

Electron-Microscopic Study of Microcracks in Single-Crystal Ti3Al. L.E.Karkina, O.A.Elkina, L.I.Yakovenkova: Physics of the Solid State, 2007, 49[9], 1680-4