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Atomic simulations of influence of twinning on crack propagation of Al

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Abstract

Molecular dynamics simulation was performed to investigate the influence of twin boundary (TB) spacing on crack propagation of Al. This study reveals the orientation of initial crack may affect the mechanism of crack growth obviously. TB strengthens Al when the crack orientation is parallel with TB because of the hinderance of TB to the emission of the dislocations. The results indicate that there is an optimal TB spacing for mechanical properties of the Al, exhibiting reverse HP (Hall-Petch) and HP effect when the TB spacing is near the critical TB spacing. Furthermore, we find that there is a yield strength hardening effect in nanotwinned Al when the crack orientation is perpendicular to the TB, and the Young’s modulus is smaller in the nanotwinned Al than that of twin free Al. The studies also demonstrate that this distinctive deformation behavior is related to nucleation of dislocations and the repulsive force of TB to the dislocations and crack propagation, as well as the distance between the crack tip and the TB.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Science, Xi’an University of Posts and Telecommunications, Xi’an, 710121, China

    MinRong An & HaiYang Song

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  1. MinRong An
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  2. HaiYang Song
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Correspondence to MinRong An or HaiYang Song.

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An, M., Song, H. Atomic simulations of influence of twinning on crack propagation of Al. Sci. China Phys. Mech. Astron. 56, 1938–1944 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11433-013-5228-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11433-013-5228-9

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