Phase work hardening in lithium niobate ferroactive binary solid solutions

Acoustic emission, dilatometric, and dielectric methods have been used to s tudy the characteristics of phase work hardening in lithium niobate ferroce ramic samples. A correlation is established between the corresponding depen dences for the third, fifth, and eighth thermal cycles in the phase transit ion region of the samples. It is hypothesized that the observed hardening c haracteristics are caused by annihilation of dislocations and their diffusi on toward crystallite boundaries. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [ S1063-7850(99)02801-3].