Atomistic scale fracture behaviours in hierarchically nanotwinned metals

In the present study, a series of large-scale molecular dynamics simulations have been performed to investigate the atomistic scale fracture behaviours along the boundaries of primary twins in Cu with hierarchically nanotwinned structures (HTS), and compare their fracture behaviours with those in monolithic twins. The results indicate that crack propagation along [1?1?2] on the twin plane in monolithic nanotwins is brittle cleavage and fracture, resulting in low crack resistance and fracture toughness. However, the crack resistance along the boundaries of primary twins in HTS is much higher, and a smaller spacing of secondary twins (λ ₂) leads to even higher fracture toughness. With large λ ₂, the crack growth is achieved by void nucleation, growth and coalescence. However, considerable plastic deformation and enhanced fracture toughness in HTS could be achieved by the crack blunting and by the extensive dislocation accommodation ahead of the crack tip when λ ₂ is small.     

Atomistic simulation of fcc-bcc phase transition in single crystal Al under uniform compression

By molecular dynamics simulations employing an embedded atom model potential,we investigate the fcc-to-bcc phase transition in single crystal Al,caused by uniform compression.Results show that the fcc structure is unstable when the pressure is over 250 GPa,in reasonable agreement with the calculated value through the density functional theory.The morphology evolution of the structural transition and the corresponding transition mechanism are analysed in detail.The bcc (011) planes are transited from the fcc (11) plane and the (11) plane.We suggest that the transition mechanism consists mainly of compression,shear,slid and rotation of the lattice.In addition,our radial distribution function analysis explicitly indicates the phase transition of Al from fcc phase to bcc structure.     

Atomistic simulation of fccben bcc phase transition in single crystal Al under uniform compression

By molecular dynamics simulations employing an embedded atom model potential, we investigate the fcc-to-bcc phase transition in single crystal Al, caused by uniform compression. Results show that the fcc structure is unstable when the pressure is over 250 GPa, in reasonable agreement with the calculated value through the density functional theory. The morphology evolution of the structural transition and the corresponding transition mechanism are analysed in detail. The bcc (011) planes are transited from the fcc (111) plane and the (111) plane. We suggest that the transition mechanism consists mainly of compression, shear, slid and rotation of the lattice. In addition, our radial distribution function analysis explicitly indicates the phase transition of Al from fcc phase to bcc structure.     

Atomistic simulation of kink structure on edge dislocation in bcc iron

Based on the general theory of dislocation and kink, we have constructed the three kink models corresponding to the 1/2 （111）{011} and 1/2 （111）{112} edge dislocations （EDs） in bcc Fe using the molecular dynamics method. We found that the geometric structure of a kink depends on the type of ED and the structural energies of the atom sites in the dislocation core region, as well as the geometric symmetry of the dislocation core and the characteristic of the stacking sequence of atomic plane along the dislocation line. The formation energies and widths of the kinks on the 1/2 （111）{011} and 1/2 （111）{112} EDs are calculated, the formation energies are 0.05eV and 0.04eV, and widths are 6.02b and 6.51b, respectively （b is the magnitude of the Burgers vector）. The small formation energies indicate that the formation of kink in the edge dislocation is very easy in bcc Fe.     

纳米尺度下毛细流动的分子动力学模拟

采用分子动力学模拟研究纳米尺度下壁面润湿性对毛细流动的影响,主要考虑纳米通道两侧壁面润湿性相同与不同两种情况。研究表明：两侧壁面润湿性相同条件下,毛细流动随着壁面润湿性增强而加快, 毛细高度随时间的变化早期偏离Lucas-Washburn理论,但后期与其预测符合。在纳米通道两侧壁面润湿性不同的情况下,液面会发生振荡,两侧壁面毛细高度也不相等,且液面振荡的幅度和两侧壁面毛细高度差都随着两侧壁面润湿性差异的增大而增大。基于能量转化分析,提出两侧壁面湿润性不同情况下纳米通道中毛细流动发生的条件以及毛细流动快慢的判别依据。研究结果加深了对纳米尺度下毛细流动机理的认识,并为相关工程应用提供理论参考。     

Atomistic simulation of microtwinning at the crack tip in L12 Ni3Al

The mechanisms of deformation at the crack tip in L1₂ Ni₃Al have been studied by molecular dynamics simulations. The stress-induced microtwinning is found to occur at the crack tip when a sufficiently high stress concentration exists. The formation mechanism of the microtwinning is discussed. It is found to be achieved by the emission of Shockley partial dislocations from the crack tip and then slip of the Shockley partial dislocations on adjacent {111} planes. Furthermore, the mechanism of the microtwinning is also discussed from the standpoint of stress.     

Homogeneous two-dimensional nucleation of guest-free silicon clathrates

The difficulty in synthesizing guest-free semiconductor clathrates complicates the process of determining how these cage-like structures form. This work studies the microscopic mechanism of the nucleation of guest-free Si₁₃₆ clathrate using molecular dynamics simulations with the Stillinger–Weber potential. The homogeneous nucleation of Si₁₃₆, which is realized in a narrow negative pressure range before liquid cavitation, exhibits the characteristic feature of the two-dimensional (2D) mode. The critical nucleus is composed of one to two five-membered rings, and the nucleation barrier is close to 1 k_BT. According to a thermodynamic model based on atomistic nucleation theory, the effective binding energy associated with the formation of 2D critical nuclei is significantly low, which is responsible for the low nucleation barrier of Si₁₃₆ clathrate. In the post-nucleation period, the critical nucleus preferentially grows into a dodecahedron, and the latter continuously grows with sharing face along 〈1 1 0〉.     

Atomistic investigation of phase transition in solid argon induced by shock wave transmission

A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation is employed to study the phase transition process in argon induced by shock wave transmission. Deriving the relation between the shock and piston velocities, the theoretical equation of state for argon is presented. Also, argon equation of state is obtained by measuring the quantities directly from simulations to be able to detect the phase transitions. The phase transition is also detected by using argon phase diagram and free energy calculations. A comparison shows good agreement between the theoretical and MD results for the phase transitions. Based on these simulations, it is concluded that under a shock wave transmission with suitable energy, the solid argon experiences a phase transition from solid to liquid and another from liquid to supercritical fluid. By reflecting the shock wave back at the end of its passage, the whole argon may reach the supercritical state.     

Atomistic Modeling of Point Defects and Diffusion in Copper Grain Boundaries

The atomic structure of several symmetrical tilt grain boundaries (GBs) in Cu and their interaction with vacancies and interstitials as well as self-diffusion are studied by molecular statics, molecular dynamics, kinetic Monte Carlo (KMC), and other atomistic simulation methods. Point defect formation energy in the GBs is on average lower than in the lattice but variations from site to site within the GB core are very significant. The formation energies of vacancies and interstitials are close to one another, which makes the defects equally important for GB diffusion. Vacancies show interesting effects such as delocalization and instability at certain GB sites. They move in GBs by simple vacancy-atom exchanges or by long jumps involving several atoms. Interstitial atoms can occupy relatively open positions between atoms, form split dumbbell configurations, or form highly delocalized displacement zones. They diffuse by direct jumps or by the indirect mechanism involving a collective displacement of several atoms. Diffusion coefficients in the GBs have been calculated by KMC simulations using defect jump rates determined within the transition state theory. GB diffusion can be dominated by vacancies or interstitials, depending on the GB structure. The diffusion anisotropy also depends on the GB structure, with diffusion along the tilt axis being either faster or slower than diffusion normal to the tilt axis. In agreement with Borisov's correlation, the activation energy of GB diffusion tends to decrease with the GB energy.     

沿〈111〉晶向冲击加载下铜中纳米孔洞增长的塑性机制研究

 用分子动力学方法计算模拟了沿〈111〉晶向冲击加载过程中，单晶铜中纳米孔洞（直径约1.3 nm）的演化及其周围区域发生塑性变形的过程。模拟结果表明，在沿〈111〉晶向冲击加载后，在面心立方（fcc）结构中的4族{111}晶面中有3族发生了滑移。伴随孔洞的增长，在所激活的3族{111}晶面上，观察到位错在孔洞表面附近区域成核，然后向外滑移，其中在剪切应力最大的〈112〉方向上，其位错速度超过横波声速，其它〈112〉方向的位错速度低于横波声速。模拟得到的位错阻尼系数范围与实验值基本符合。由于孔洞周围产生的滑移在空间比较对称，孔洞增长形貌接近球形。在恒定的冲击强度下，孔洞半径增长速率近似保持恒定，其速率随着冲击强度的增加而增大。     

辐照导致钨表面的溅射现象的理论研究

采用基于量子力学的分子动力学方法,模拟了高能粒子辐照导致钨表面的溅射和结构损伤.结果显示,当PKA能量高于200 eV且入射角度大于65°时开始产生溅射原子,当入射角度在45°-65°之间时,钨表面因受辐照而导致的空位数目最少.因此,当PKA入射角度取在45°-65°之间时,可以有效地降低辐照导致的钨表面的结构损伤.还发现钨表面含有间隙原子时会加剧表面原子溅射,而包含空位原子且PKA取在空位附近时则会抑制表面原子的溅射.     

Atomistic Simulation of Curvature Driven Grain Boundary Migration

We present two dimensional molecular dynamics simulations of grain boundary migration using the half-loop bicrystal geometry in the experiments of Shvindlerman et al. We examine the dependence of steady-state grain boundary migration rate on grain boundary curvature by varying the half-loop width at constant temperature. The results confirm the classical result derived by absolute reaction rate theory that grain boundary velocity is proportional to the curvature. We then measure the grain boundary migration rate for fixed half-loop width at varying temperatures. Analysis of this data establishes an Arrhenius relation between the grain boundary mobility and temperature, allowing us to extract the activation energy for grain boundary migration. Since grain boundaries have an excess volume, curvature driven grain boundary migration increases the density of the system during the simulations. In simulations performed at constant pressure, this leads to vacancy generation during the boundary migration, making the whole migration process jerky.     

On the entropic nucleation barrier in a martensitic transformation

The nucleation of martensite in alloys is hindered by a free energy nucleation barrier, hence comprising contributions of the potential energy and the entropy. The leading effect is commonly attributed to the potential energy barrier due to strain fields. In this contribution, we investigate the nature of the entropic barrier by means of molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. We study a transformation process of an undercooled single crystal and examine two nucleation events observed under adiabatic conditions using vibrational mode analysis of the atomic trajectories. Our analysis shows that martensitic nucleations are indicated by transit from a state of uncorrelated into a state of correlated atomic motions. This correlation process is built up locally by a small group of atoms even before the product lattice can be recognized morphologically and it produces vibrational ‘soft’ modes along transformation paths. Phase space analyses unveil that the correlation process is characterized by narrow domains – ‘nucleation channels’ – the atomic trajectories have to pass, connecting the phase space domains of the parent and the product lattice. For a successful nucleation event, the nucleus atoms have to pass this channel collectively, which stochastically represents a rare event. Thermal fluctuations prevent finding the channel at elevated temperature and give rise for entropic stabilization of the parent phase. This ‘entropic nucleation barrier’ is reduced in the undercooled state but still effective, thus preventing the parent phase from collapsing into the product. The entropic barrier may be interpreted as the probability of a group of atoms to simultaneously pass the nucleation channel. Such group then represents a nucleus.     

Effect of vacancies on incipient plasticity during contact loading

Atomistic simulations and experimental nanoindentation tests were used to examine the effect of vacancies on the inception of plastic deformation in Ni. Molecular dynamics have shown the effect of vacancy position on the yield load and demonstrate a variety of mechanisms which are responsible for the inception of plastic deformation during indentation. In cases where the vacancy position is close to regions of high shear stresses the nucleation of dislocations is related to the location of a vacancy; however, homogeneous nucleation of dislocations is also observed for vacancy-containing crystals. Complementary experiments have been used to demonstrate the effect of indenter size on the onset of yielding in the presence of vacancies. Both the simulations and experiments show that larger indenter tips increase the chance of weakening the material in the presence of vacancies.     

Diffusion along the Grain Boundaries in Crystals with Dislocations

A generalization of the Fisher model of the grain boundary diffusion is suggested, which takes into account the diffusion along short circuit diffusion paths (i.e., dislocations) in the bulk of crystalline grains. For the B-regime of the grain boundary diffusion, three different penetration modes have been found: at the short times the penetration depth of the element diffusing along the grain boundary is given by the Whipple solution of the Fisher model, but with the pipe diffusion coefficients along the dislocation cores instead of the volume diffusivities; at the intermediate times the penetration depth is a weak function of time, and at the large times the penetration depth again increases with time according to the Whipple solution, however, the rate of this increase is much smaller than in the initial period of time. The applications of the model for diffusion in nanomaterials are discussed.     

单晶铜纳米线屈服机理的原子模拟研究

采用分子静力学方法模拟了〈100〉单晶铜纳米线的拉伸变形过程,研究了纳米线屈服的机理. 结果表明：1） 纳米线初始屈服通过部分位错随机激活的{111}〈112〉孪生实现,后继屈服通过{111}〈112〉部分位错滑移实现;2） 纳米线变形初期不同滑移面上的部分位错在两面交线处相遇形成压杆位错,变形后期部分位错在刚性边界处塞积,两者都阻碍位错滑移,引起一定的强化作用. 关键词： 纳米线 屈服 位错 分子静力学