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In Situ Quantitative Tensile Testing of Antigorite in a Transmission Electron Microscope
Hosni Idrissi1,2, Vahid Samaee2, Gunnar Lumbeeck2
1Institute of Mechanics, Materials and Civil Engineering UCLouvain Louvain-la-Neuve Belgium.
Journal of Geophysical Research. Solid Earth
|July 28, 2020
Summary
Antigorite serpentinite deformation is dominated by grain boundary sliding, not dislocation activity, revealing new insights into fault mechanics. This finding is crucial for understanding subduction zone processes.
Area of Science:
- Geophysics
- Materials Science
- Mineral Physics
Background:
- Serpentinites are key components in faulting and subduction zones.
- Understanding their mechanical properties is crucial for geodynamic models.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the in situ mechanical behavior of antigorite serpentinite under tensile stress.
- To determine the dominant deformation mechanisms at the nanoscale.
Main Methods:
- In situ tensile testing of antigorite beams within a transmission electron microscope.
- Quantitative measurement of force and displacement coupled with microstructural imaging.
- Focused ion beam preparation of nanoscale specimens.
Main Results:
- No dislocation activity was observed up to 700 MPa, despite favorable grain orientations.
- Antigorite exhibited permanent deformation, not purely elastic-brittle failure.
- Strain localization occurred at grain boundaries, indicating grain boundary sliding as the primary mechanism.
Conclusions:
- Grain boundary sliding is the dominant deformation mechanism for antigorite under tested conditions.
- This challenges previous assumptions about antigorite's mechanical behavior.
- Further research on antigorite grain boundary structure and properties is warranted.
