On thermodynamic similarity of the stability boundaries of metastable metal states

The data on the thermodynamic and kinetic stability boundaries of liquid and solid Pb, Li, Al, Cu, and Fe metals over a wide range of pressures and temperatures accumulated by the authors are analyzed and compared. Molecular-dynamics models using the embedded atom and Lennard-Jones potentials are considered. Examples of assuredly absent similarity are given, and the possibility of constructing approximate similarity is discussed. The following variants for constructing dimensionless parameters are considered: the use of critical point parameters (for the liquid phase), the use of Simon parameters, and the use of parameters reached at the stability boundary at zero pressure (the latter variant was most effective for ordering the stability boundaries of crystals).     

Molecular dynamics simulation of cavitation in a lead melt at negative pressures

The molecular dynamics method was used to simulate cavitation in a metastable lead melt and determine the stability limits. States at temperatures below critical (T < 0.5T _c) and large negative pressures were considered. Interatomic interactions were described by the realistic embedded atom potential. The kinetic boundary of liquid phase stability was shown to be different from the spinodal. The kinetics and dynamics of cavitation were studied. The pressure dependences of cavitation frequencies were obtained over the temperature range 700–2700 K. The results of molecular dynamics calculations were compared with estimates based on classical nucleation theory.