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Atomistic investigation of crack growth resistance in a single-crystal Al-nanoplate

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Abstract

The fracture behavior of a single-crystal Al-nanoplate with an edge crack under tensile loading was simulated using a molecular statics technique to evaluate crack growth resistance in Al. The crack length was determined using a stiffness method. A parabolic function fitted from simulation results was used to predict the crack length from the stiffness value extracted from unloading curves. Based on energy considerations, crack growth resistance was calculated. Crack growth resistance rose sharply in the initial stages of crack growth, and with an additional crack extension, it increased gradually to converge to a constant far exceeding the fracture toughness predicted by the Griffith criterion. This trend in the crack growth resistance curve was closely related to the amorphous zone formed at the crack tip after the onset of crack propagation.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This research was supported by the Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), funded by the Ministry of Education, Republic of Korea (NRF-2013R1A1A2A10008799).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, Inha University, Incheon, 402-751, Republic of Korea

    Xiao Ru Zhuo, Jang Hyun Kim & Hyeon Gyu Beom

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  1. Xiao Ru Zhuo
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  2. Jang Hyun Kim
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  3. Hyeon Gyu Beom
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Correspondence to Hyeon Gyu Beom.

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Zhuo, X.R., Kim, J.H. & Beom, H.G. Atomistic investigation of crack growth resistance in a single-crystal Al-nanoplate. Journal of Materials Research 31, 1185–1192 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1557/jmr.2016.155

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