Ti3SiC2 and ice

Despite vast differences in their other properties, the responses of Ti3SiC 2 and ice to stress are quite similar in that they are quite strain-rate se nsitive; if loaded rapidly, both are brittle, but if loaded slowly they are quite plastic. This stems from the fact that both are plastically very ani sotropic; deformation occurs overwhelmingly, if not exclusively, by slip al ong basal planes. In both cases, stress concentrations and the rate at whic h they are relaxed dictate the nature of the mechanical response. In the br ittle regime, microcracks and their linkage play a dominant role in both ca ses. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.