A parametric simulation method for discrete dislocation dynamics

A new computer simulation method employed in discrete dislocation dynamics is presented. The article summarizes results of an application of the method to elementary interactions among glide dislocations and dipolar dislocation loops. The glide dislocations are represented by parametrically described curves moving in glide planes whereas the dipolar loops are treated as rigid objects. All mutual force interactions are considered in the models. As a consequence, the computational complexity rapidly increases with the number of objects considered. This difficulty is treated by advanced computational techniques such as suitable accurate numerical methods and parallel implementation of the algorithms. Therefore the method is able to simulate particular phenomena of dislocation dynamics which occur in crystalline solids deformed by single slip: generation of glide dislocations from the Frank-Read source, interaction of glide dislocations with obstacles, their encounters in channels of the bands, sweeping of dipolar loops by glide dislocations and a loop clustering.     

Influence of the phonon viscosity and dislocation interaction on the glide of a pair of edge dislocations in a crystal with point defects

The motion of a pair of edge dislocations in an elastic field of point defects is investigated taking into account the interaction of dislocations both with each other and with the phonon subsystem of the crystal. It is demonstrated that the retarding force is a nonmonotonic function of the velocity of dislocation glide with two extrema displayed under certain conditions.     

A computational approach towards modelling dislocation transmission across phase boundaries

To study the nanoscopic interaction between edge dislocations and a phase boundary within a two-phase microstructure the effect of the phase contrast on the internal stress field due to the dislocations needs to be taken into account. For this purpose a 2D semi-discrete model is proposed in this paper. It consists of two distinct phases, each with its specific material properties, separated by a fully coherent and non-damaging phase boundary. Each phase is modelled as a continuum enriched with a Peierls–Nabarro (PN) dislocation region, confining dislocation motion to a discrete plane, the glide plane. In this paper, a single glide plane perpendicular to and continuous across the phase boundary is considered. Along the glide plane bulk induced shear tractions are balanced by glide plane shear tractions based on the classical PN model. The model's ability to capture dislocation obstruction at phase boundaries, dislocation pile-ups and dislocation transmission is studied. Results show that the phase contrast in material properties (e.g. elastic stiffness, glide plane properties) alone creates a barrier to the motion of dislocations from a soft to a hard phase. The proposed model accounts for the interplay between dislocations, external boundaries and phase boundary and thus represents a suitable tool for studying edge dislocation–phase boundary interaction in two-phase microstructures.     

Influence of collective effects on the dynamic behavior of a single edge dislocation in a crystal with point defects

The glide of a single edge dislocation in an elastic field of point defects randomly distributed over a crystal is investigated taking into account the influence of the phonon subsystem of the crystal. The force of retardation of the dislocation motion is calculated, and the velocities at which this force has a local maximum and a local minimum are determined. A comparative analysis of the glide of a single dislocation and the glide of a pair of edge dislocations is performed.     

Static friction of sinusoidal surfaces: a discrete dislocation plasticity analysis

Discrete dislocation plasticity simulations are carried out to investigate the static frictional response of sinusoidal asperities with (sub)-microscale wavelength. The surfaces are first flattened and then sheared by a perfectly adhesive platen. Both bodies are explicitly modelled, and the external loading is applied on the top surface of the platen. Plastic deformation by dislocation glide is the only dissipation mechanism active. The tangential force obtained at the contact when displacing the platen horizontally first increases with applied displacement, then reaches a constant value. This constant is here taken to be the friction force. In agreement with several experiments and continuum simulation studies, the friction coefficient is found to decrease with the applied normal load. However, at odds with continuum simulations, the friction force is also found to decrease with the normal load. The decrease is caused by an increased availability of dislocations to initiate and sustain plastic flow during shearing. Again in contrast to continuum studies, the friction coefficient is found to vary stochastically across the contact surface, and to reach locally values up to several times the average friction coefficient. Moreover, the friction force and the friction coefficient are found to be size-dependent.     

A model for the dynamics of loop drag by a gliding dislocation

Clusters of self-interstitial atoms are formed in metals by high-energy displacement cascades, often in the form of small dislocation loops with a perfect Burgers vector. In isolation, they are able to undergo fast, thermally activated glide in the direction of their Burgers vector, but do not move in response to a uniform stress field. The present work considers their ability to glide under the influence of the stress of a gliding dislocation. If loops can be dragged by a dislocation, it would have consequences for the effective cross-section for dislocation interaction with other defects near its glide plane. The lattice resistance to loop drag cannot be simulated accurately by the elasticity theory of dislocations, so here it is investigated in iron and copper by atomic-scale computer simulation. It is shown that a row of loops lying within a few nanometres of the dislocation slip plane can be dragged at very high speed. The drag coefficient associated with this process has been determined as a function of metal, temperature and loop size and spacing. A model for loop drag, based on the diffusivity of interstitial loops, is presented. It is tested against data obtained for the effects of drag on the stress to move a dislocation and the conditions under which a dislocation breaks away from a row of loops.     

The Peierls model for dislocation rings

The energy of a shear dislocation ring is calculated in the framework of the Peierls model in which the displacement is represented by a density of infinitesimal dislocations in the glide plane. This avoids the introduction of an uncertain core cut-off radiusr ₀ to prevent divergence in the usual treatment. The atomic misfit energy in the glide plane is accounted for explicitly and the influence of the interplanar potential on the ring energy and the core structure is studied. Whereas spontaneous formation of shear rings in a homogenous stress field can be ruled out, the emission of dislocation rings from crack tips in glide planes not containing the crack front is feasible.The paper is dedicated to Dr. Frantiek Kroupa in honour of his 70^th birthday.Stimulating discussions with miss Petra Fiala are gratefully acknowledged.     

Homogeneous nucleation of glide dislocation loops in nanoceramics

A theoretical model is proposed for the homogeneous nucleation of glide dislocation loops in nanocrystalline ceramics under deformation at low and high temperatures. The nucleation of a dislocation loop in a crystalline grain is considered an ideal nanoscopic shear whose magnitude (the Burgers vector of the dislocation) increases gradually as the loop is nucleating. The characteristics of the homogeneous nucleation of glide dislocation loops in nanocrystalline ceramics based on cubic silicon carbide are calculated. It is shown that, in general, the homogeneous nucleation of a dislocation loop in nanocrystalline ceramics at high temperatures proceeds in two stages, namely, the athermal nucleation of a loop of a “noncrystallographic” partial dislocation and its thermally activated transformation into an ordinary partial lattice dislocation loop.     

A dislocation dynamics study of the strength of stacking fault tetrahedra. Part I: interactions with screw dislocations

We present a comprehensive dislocation dynamics (DD) study of the strength of stacking fault tetrahedra (SFT) to screw dislocation glide in fcc Cu. Our methodology explicitly accounts for partial dislocation reactions in fcc crystals, which allows us to provide more detailed insights into the dislocation–SFT processes than previous DD studies. The resistance due to stacking fault surfaces to dislocation cutting has been computed using atomistic simulations and added in the form of a point stress to our DD methodology. We obtain a value of 1658.9 MPa, which translates into an extra force resolved on the glide plane that dislocations must overcome before they can penetrate SFTs. In fact, we see they do not, leading to two well differentiated regimes: (i) partial dislocation reactions, resulting in partial SFT damage, and (ii) impenetrable SFT resulting in the creation of Orowan loops. We obtain SFT strength maps as a function of dislocation glide plane-SFT intersection height, interaction orientation, and dislocation line length. In general SFTs are weaker obstacles the smaller the encountered triangular area is, which has allowed us to derive simple scaling laws with the slipped area as the only variable. These laws suffice to explain all strength curves and are used to derive a simple model of dislocation–SFT strength. The stresses required to break through obstacles in the 2.5–4.8-nm size range have been computed to be 100–300 MPa, in good agreement with some experimental estimations and molecular dynamics calculations.     

Relation between the activation parameters of low-temperature slip and the mean-square amplitude of atomic vibrations in cubic metals

The available data on various activation parameters of low-temperature slip in 9 body-centred cubic and 5 face-centred cubic elements have been examined as a function of a single microscopic parameter, namely mean-square amplitude of atomic vibrations <u ²>, specific to the material. It is found that for a given crystal structure, the microscopic parameters of the unit activation process of yielding, e.g. the initial length of dislocation segment, the critical height of the kink-pair nucleated, the associated activation volume, the binding energy per interatomic spacing along the glide dislocation on the slip plane etc. correlate well with the mean-square amplitude of atomic vibrations <u ²> through a power regression formula.     

Effect of H impurity on misfit dislocation in Ni-based single-crystal superalloy: molecular dynamic simulations

The effect of H impurity on the misfit dislocation in Ni-based single-crystal superalloy is investigated using the molecular dynamic simulation. It includes the site preferences of H impurity in single crystals Ni and Ni₃Al, the interaction between H impurity and the misfit dislocation and the effect of H impurity on the moving misfit dislocation. The calculated energies and simulation results show that the misfit dislocation attracts H impurity which is located at the γ/γ' interface and Ni₃Al and H impurity on the glide plane can obstruct the glide of misfit dislocation, which is beneficial to improving the mechanical properties of Ni based superalloys.     

Orientational effect of the dynamical interaction of circular dislocation loops with a moving edge dislocation

The glide of an edge dislocation in a crystal containing circular dislocation loops is studied theoretically. An analytical expression is obtained for the drag force exerted on a dislocation by various types of dislocation loops, and it is shown that this force depends significantly on the orientation of the Burgers vector of immobile dislocation loops with respect to the gliding dislocation line. The F _‖/F _⊥ ratio of the drag force for the parallel orientation of the Burgers vectors of the loops with respect to the gliding dislocation line (F _‖) and the drag force for the perpendicular orientation (F _⊥) is equal to K(v/c)², where v is the velocity of the dislocation; c is the velocity of acoustic waves in the crystal; and K is a dimensionless coefficient, whose value is of the order of the ratio of the concentrations of dislocation loops with parallel and perpendicular orientations of the Burgers vector.     

Which stresses affect the glide of screw dislocations in bcc metals?

By direct application of stress in molecular statics calculations we identify the stress components that affect the glide of 1/2?111? screw dislocations in bcc tungsten. These results prove that the hydrostatic stress and the normal stress parallel to the dislocation line do not play any role in the dislocation glide. Therefore, the Peierls stress of the dislocation cannot depend directly on the remaining two normal stresses that are perpendicular to the dislocation but, instead, on their combination that causes an equibiaxial tension-compression (and thus shear) in the plane perpendicular to the dislocation line. The Peierls stress of 1/2?111? screw dislocations then depends only on the orientation of the plane in which the shear stress parallel to the Burgers vector is applied and on the magnitude and orientation of the shear stress perpendicular to the slip direction.     

The formation of dislocation networks

The formation of small angle boundaries consisting of dislocation networks is considered mainly on the basis of studies concerning the hot-deformation of Al-Mg alloys solidified with well developed sub-structures. It is shown that different kinds of network are built up on dislocation forests by dislocations which encounter the forest by glide and then change the mode of motion from glide to climb. Special attention is given to the mechanism of climb which enables the rapid knitting of networks during hot-deformation, and also to the annihilation of dislocations which prevents the increase in flow stress.     

有限温度下位错环的脱体现象

在FCC单晶铜中构造了滑移面为（111）,伯格矢量为b=［112］/6的圆形不完全位错环．采用分子动力学方法模拟了该位错环在0—350 K温度区间内的自收缩过程．模拟结果发现：零温度下,位错不能跨越Peierls-Nabarro势垒运动,迁移速度为0;50　K温度下,螺型和刃型位错具有基本相同的迁移速度;随温度增加,刃型位错具有较大迁移速度;温度较高时,位错核宽度进一步增加;小位错环周围的局部应力,引起4个脱体位错环;脱体位错环在原位错的应力作用下逐渐生长,原位错消失后,在自相 关键词： 单晶铜 位错环 分子动力学 位错源     

Surface stress mediated image force and torque on an edge dislocation

The proximity of interfaces gives prominence to image forces experienced by dislocations. The presence of surface stress alters the traction-free boundary conditions existing on free-surfaces and hence is expected to alter the magnitude of the image force. In the current work, using a combined simulation of surface stress and an edge dislocation in a semi-infinite body, we evaluate the configurational effects on the system. We demonstrate that if the extra half-plane of the edge dislocation is parallel to the surface, the image force (glide) is not altered due to surface stress; however, the dislocation experiences a torque. The surface stress breaks the ‘climb image force’ symmetry, thus leading to non-equivalence between positive and negative climb. We discover an equilibrium position for the edge dislocation in the positive ‘climb geometry’, arising due to a competition between the interaction of the dislocation stress fields with the surface stress and the image dislocation. Torque in the climb configuration is not affected by surface stress (remains zero). Surface stress is computed using a recently developed two-scale model based on Shuttleworth’s idea and image forces using a finite element model developed earlier. The effect of surface stress on the image force and torque experienced by the dislocation monopole is analysed using illustrative 3D models.     

Motion and rotation of small glissile dislocation loops in stress fields

We derive here for the first time the equations that describe the combined motion and rotation of small prismatic dislocation loops in stress fields. When the applied torque is balanced by the self-torque of the loop, we show how the solution can be obtained for the loop orientation, and how this orientation affects the glide force on the loop.     

Pseudoclimb and dislocation dynamics in superplastic nanotubes

Plastic relaxation of carbon nanotubes under tension and at high temperature is described in terms of dislocation theory and with atomistic computer simulations. It is shown how the glide of pentagon-heptagon defects and a particular type of their pseudoclimb, with the atoms directly breaking out of the lattice, work concurrently to maintain the tube perfection. Derived force diagram quantifies the balance between these mechanisms, while simulations show both helical and longitudinal movement of the kinks, in agreement with the forces and with experimental observations.     

剪切应变下刃型位错的滑移机理的晶体相场模拟

针对刃型位错的滑移运动, 构建包含外力场与晶格原子密度耦合作用的体系自由能密度函数, 建立剪切应变作用体系的晶体相场模型. 模拟了双相双晶体系的位错攀移和滑移运动, 计算了位错滑移的Peierls势垒和滑移速度. 结果表明: 施加较大的剪切应变率作用, 体系能量变化为单调光滑曲线, 位错以恒定速度做连续运动, 具有刚性运动特征; 剪切应变率较小时, 体系能量变化出现周期波动特征, 位错运动是处于低速不连续运动状态, 运动出现周期“颠簸”式滑移运动, 具有黏滞运动特征; 位错启动运动, 存在临界的势垒. 位错启动攀移运动的Peierls势垒要比启动滑移Peierls势垒大几倍. 位错攀移和滑移运动特征与实验结果相符合.     

Climb via vacancy diffusion of edge dislocations in 2D dislocation microstructures

The prevention of strength degradation of components is one of the great challenges in solid mechanics. In particular, at high temperatures material may deform even at low stresses, a deformation mode known as deformation creep. One of the microstructural mechanisms that governs deformation creep is dislocation motion due to the absorption or emission of vacancies, which results in motion perpendicular to the glide plane, called dislocation climb. However, the importance of the dislocation network for the deformation creep remains far from being understood. In this study, a climb model that accounts for the dislocation network is developed, by solving the diffusion equation for vacancies in a region with a general dislocation distribution. The definition of the sink strength is extended, to account for the contributions of neighbouring dislocations to the climb rate. The model is then applied to dislocation dipoles and dislocation pile-ups, which are dense dislocation structures and it is found that the sink strength of dislocations in a pile-up is reduced since the vacancy field is distributed between the dislocations. Finally, the importance of the results for modelling deformation creep is discussed.