The nucleation of partial dislocations from a surface was considered. A model was proposed for 3 elementary cases that were related to the state of the surface (stepped or plane). A complex situation was analyzed which involved 2 Shockley partials gliding on the (111) plane of a face-centered cubic crystal with a (100) surface. The stress versus stacking-fault energy plane could then be divided into 3 parts where complete dissociated dislocations or partial dislocations could or could not be nucleated. The predicted behavior was consistent with previous observations.

Nucleation of Partial Dislocations from a Free Surface - Theoretical Study. S.Brochard, N.Junqua, J.Grilhé: Philosophical Magazine A, 1998, 77[4], 911-22