Slip Planes and Slip Systems
The slip plane together with the slip direction establishes the slip system.
Slip systems are designated as: {hkl}<uvw>, of which
- {hkl} . <uvw> = 0 ; i.e. hu + kv + lw = 0
In addition to producing displacements in definite crystallographic directions, dislocations also move on specific crystallographic planes.
We refer to the plane on which a dislocation moves as its slip plane.
Usually the slip plane corresponds to the plane that has the densest atomic packing.