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Acta Metall Sin  2024, Vol. 60 Issue (6): 848-856    DOI: 10.11900/0412.1961.2022.00606
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Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Thermo-Kinetics of Tensile Deformation of α-Fe Single Crystal
BAI Zhiwen1, DING Zhigang1, ZHOU Ailong1, HOU Huaiyu1(), LIU Wei1, LIU Feng2,3()
1 Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
2 State Key Laboratory of Solidification Processing, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi 'an 710072, China
3 Analytical & Testing Center, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi 'an 710072, China
Cite this article: 

BAI Zhiwen, DING Zhigang, ZHOU Ailong, HOU Huaiyu, LIU Wei, LIU Feng. Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Thermo-Kinetics of Tensile Deformation of α-Fe Single Crystal. Acta Metall Sin, 2024, 60(6): 848-856.

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Abstract  

The microstructure and deformation mechanisms determine the strength and plasticity of structural materials. Specifically, the nucleation and movement of dislocations play a crucial role in the plastic deformation processing of crystalline materials. Just like the phase transformation, the plastic deformation and evolution of dislocations can be described as a kinetic behavior resulting from a thermodynamic driving force. In recent years, this research group has introduced the concept of thermo-dynamic correlation,which reflects the correlation between thermodynamics and kinetics as a trade-off relationship between thermodynamic driving forces (ΔG) and kinetic energy barriers (Q). It was found that an increase in ΔG is always accompanied by a decrease in Q in the processes of phase transformations and plastic deformations, and vice versa. Based on the so-called synergy rule of thermodynamics and kinetics, a new idea for the design and optimization of mechanical properties of materials has been proposed, that is the generalized stability criteria for phase transformation and deformation. The ΔG and Q are correlated by the concept of generalized stability, and it was suggested by many cases of metallic materials design that high driving forces and high generalized stability correspond to high strength and high ductility. To understand the thermo-dynamic correlation in the material deformation process and apply the generalized stability criteria for materials design, it is essential to comprehend the law of dislocation movement and evolution, and quantitatively describe the relationship between the driving force and the energy barrier of dislocation movement. The molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method has become an important means of studying the deformation mechanism of materials, dispite some limitations such as high deformation rate and small size of the description object. In this work, the thermo-kinetic behaviors of α-Fe deformation along [010], [111], [11¯0], and [112¯] crystal directions under uniaxial tension were studied by using MD simulation. The dislocation generation and evolution of α-Fe during the tensile process were analyzed. The results indicate that the yield strength of the material varies along the grain direction, with the order from high to low being [111], [110], [112¯], and [010]. When stretching along different crystal directions, the trend of dislocation density, dislocation type, and dislocation initiation time differs. The earlier the dislocation initiation time, the lower the yield strength. Generally, the dislocation initiation time of single crystal iron advances with an increase in temperature and a decrease in elastic modulus and strength. The results of thermo-kinetic and generalized stability analysis of dislocation evolution show that the thermo-kinetic driving force is opposite to the kinetic energy barrier, and the generalized stability value depends on crystal orientation and temperature.

Key words:  α-Fe      molecular dynamics      dislocation      thermo-kinetics      generalized stability     
Received:  30 November 2022     
ZTFLH:  TG141  
Fund: National Natural Science Foundation of China(52130110)
Corresponding Authors:  HOU Huaiyu, associate professor, Tel: 13813008713, E-mail: hyhou@njust.edu.cn;
LIU Feng, professor, Tel: (029)88460374, E-mail: liufeng@nwpu.edu.cn

URL: 

https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/10.11900/0412.1961.2022.00606     OR     https://www.ams.org.cn/EN/Y2024/V60/I6/848

Crystal orientationModel size / nmAtomic number
XYZLXLYLZ
[100][010][001]19.98759.96119.9872058000
[112¯][111][11¯0]19.58359.84119.7861992144
[111][11¯0][112¯]19.78259.76319.5831989120
[11¯0][112¯][111]19.78659.44919.7821999200
Table 1  Initial model sizes for tensile simulation of single crystal α-Fe
Fig.1  Stress-strain curves (a) and potential energy (ΔE) curves (b) of α-Fe along different orientations at 10 K
Fig.2  Local atomic structure distributions of α-Fe along different orientations at yield points (10 K, ε—strain)
(a) [010] (ε = 0.106) (b) [111] (ε = 0.284)
(c) $[1\bar{1}0]$(ε = 0.188) (d) $[11\bar{2}]$ (ε = 0.165)
Fig.3  Dislocation density curves of α-Fe along different orientations at 10 K
(a) [010] (b) [111] (c) [$1 \bar{1}0$] (d) [$11\bar{2}$]
Fig.4  Stress-strain curves along [010] orientation (a) and yield stress along different orientations (b) of α-Fe at different temperatures
Fig.5  Dislocation density curves of α-Fe along different orientations at different temperatures
(a) [010] (b) [111]
Fig.6  Thermodynamic driving force and energy barrier (a) and generalized stability (b) for plasticity deformation of α-Fe along different orientations at 10 K (ΔG—driving force at 0.5 strain, ΔGy—driving force at reference state (yield point), Q—energy barrier at 0.5 strain, Qy—energy barrier at yield point)
Fig.7  Driving force and energy barriers curves (a) and generalized stability curves (b) of α-Fe for plasticity deformation along [010] orientation at different temperatures
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