TEM in situ straining experiments in Fe at low temperature

In situ transmission electron microscopy straining experiments were carried out in pure Fe to investigate the origin of the discontinuity observed at 250 K in the temperature variation of the deformation activation parameters. The results show that the motion of screw dislocations is steady at 300 K, in agreement with a kink-pair mechanism, but jerky at 110 K. This change has been attributed to a transition from a kink-pair mechanism to a locking–unlocking mechanism, similar to that observed previously in Ti.