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Indentation into a metastable austenite may induce the phase transformation to the bcc phase. We study this process using
atomistic simulation. At temperatures low compared to the equilibrium transformation temperature, the indentation triggers the
transformation of the entire crystallite: after starting the transformation, it rapidly proceeds throughout the simulation crystallite.
The microstructure of the transformed sample is characterized by twinned grains. At higher temperatures, around the equilibrium
transformation temperature, the crystal transforms only locally, in the vicinity of the indent pit. In addition, the indenter
produces dislocation plasticity in the remaining austenite. At intermediate temperatures, the crystal continuously transforms
throughout the indentation process.
Influence of the Crystal Surface on the Austenitic and Martensitic Phase Transition in Pure Iron
(2018)
Using classical molecular dynamics simulations, we studied the influence that free
surfaces exert on the austenitic and martensitic phase transition in iron. For several single-indexed
surfaces—such as (100)bcc and (110)bcc as well as (100)fcc and (110)fcc surfaces—appropriate
pathways exist that allow for the transformation of the surface structure. These are the Bain,
Mao, Pitsch, and Kurdjumov–Sachs pathways, respectively. Tilted surfaces follow the pathway
of the neighboring single-indexed plane. The austenitic transformation temperature follows the
dependence of the specific surface energy of the native bcc phase; here, the new phase nucleates at
the surface. In contrast, the martensitic transformation temperature steadily decreases when tilting
the surface from the (100)fcc to the (110)fcc orientation. This dependence is caused by the strong
out-of-plane deformation that (110)fcc facets experience under the transformation; here, the new
phase also nucleates in the bulk rather than at the surface.
Cyclic indentation is a technique used to characterize materials by indenting repeatedly on the same location. This technique allows information to be obtained on how the plastic material response changes under repeated loading. We explore the processes underlying this technique using a combined experimental and simulative approach. We focus on the loading–unloading hysteresis and the dependence of the hysteresis width ha,p on the cycle number. In both approaches, we obtain a power-law demonstrating ha,p with respect to the hardening exponent e. A detailed analysis of the atomistic simulation results shows that changes in the dislocation network under repeated indentation are responsible for this behavior.
Small concentrations of alloying elements can modify the
α
α
-
γ
γ
phase transition temperature
T
c
Tc
of Fe. We study this effect using an atomistic model based on a set of many-body interaction potentials for iron and several alloying elements. Free-energy calculations based on perturbation theory allow us to determine the change in
T
c
Tc
introduced by the alloying element. The resulting changes are in semi-quantitative agreement with experiment. The effect is traced back to the shape of the pair potential describing the interaction between the Fe and the alloying atom
Adsorption and Diffusion of Cisplatin Molecules in Nanoporous Materials: A Molecular Dynamics Study
(2019)
Using molecular dynamics simulations, the adsorption and diffusion of cisplatin drug molecules in nanopores is investigated for several inorganic materials. Three different materials are studied with widely-varying properties: metallic gold, covalent silicon, and silica. We found a strong influence of both the van der Waals and the electrostatic interaction on the adsorption behavior on the pore walls, which in turn influence the diffusion coefficients. While van der Waals forces generally lead to a reduction of the diffusion coefficient, the fluctuations in the electrostatic energy induced by orientation changes of the cisplatin molecule were found to help desorb the molecule from the wall.
Using molecular dynamics simulation, we study nanoindentation in large samples of Cu–Zr glass at various temperatures between zero and the glass transition temperature. We find that besides the elastic modulus, the yielding point also strongly (by around 50%) decreases with increasing temperature; this behavior is in qualitative agreement with predictions of the cooperative shear model. Shear-transformation zones (STZs) show up in increasing sizes at low temperatures, leading to shear-band activity. Cluster analysis of the STZs exhibits a power-law behavior in the statistics of STZ sizes. We find strong plastic activity also during the unloading phase; it shows up both in the deactivation of previous plastic zones and the appearance of new zones, leading to the observation of pop-outs. The statistics of STZs occurring during unloading show that they operate in a similar nature as the STZs found during loading. For both cases, loading and unloading, we find the statistics of STZs to be related to directed percolation. Material hardness shows a weak strain-rate dependence, confirming previously reported experimental findings; the number of pop-ins is reduced at slower indentation rate. Analysis of the dependence of our simulation results on the quench rate applied during preparation of the glass shows only a minor effect on the properties of STZs.
Clean silica surfaces have a high surface energy. In consequence, colliding silica nanoparticles will stick rather than bounce over a wide range of collision velocities. Often, however, silica surfaces are passivated by adsorbates, in particular water, which considerably reduce the surface energy. We study the effect of surface hydroxylation on silica nanoparticle collisions by atomistic simulation, using the REAX potential that allows for bond breaking and formation. We find that the bouncing velocity is reduced by more than an order of magnitude compared to clean nanoparticle collisions
Nanoindentation simulations are performed for a Ni(111) bi-crystal, in which the grain boundary is coated by a graphene layer. We study both a weak and a strong interface, realized by a 30∘ and a 60∘ twist boundary, respectively, and compare our results for the composite also with those of an elemental Ni bi-crystal. We find hardening of the elemental Ni when a strong, i.e., low-energy, grain boundary is introduced, and softening for a weak grain boundary. For the strong grain boundary, the interface barrier strength felt by dislocations upon passing the interface is responsible for the hardening; for the weak grain boundary, confinement of the dislocations results in the weakening. For the Ni-graphene composite, we find in all cases a weakening influence that is caused by the graphene blocking the passage of dislocations and absorbing them. In addition, interface failure occurs when the indenter reaches the graphene, again weakening the composite structure.
Using molecular dynamics simulation, we study the cutting of an Fe single crystal using
tools with various rake angles α. We focus on the (110)[001] cut system, since here, the crystal
plasticity is governed by a simple mechanism for not too strongly negative rake angles. In this
case, the evolution of the chip is driven by the generation of edge dislocations with the Burgers
vector b = 1
2
[111], such that a fixed shear angle of φ = 54.7◦
is established. It is independent of
the rake angle of the tool. The chip form is rectangular, and the chip thickness agrees with the
theoretical result calculated for this shear angle from the law of mass conservation. We find that the
force angle χ between the direction of the force and the cutting direction is independent of the rake
angle; however, it does not obey the predictions of macroscopic cutting theories, nor the correlations
observed in experiments of (polycrystalline) cutting of mild steel. Only for (strongly) negative rake
angles, the mechanism of plasticity changes, leading to a complex chip shape or even suppressing the
formation of a chip. In these cases, the force angle strongly increases while the friction angle tends
to zero.
Fragmentation of granular clusters may be studied by experiments and by granular mechanics simulation. When comparing results, it is often assumed that results can be compared when scaled to the same value of E/◂◽.▸Esep, where E denotes the collision energy and ◂◽.▸Esep is the energy needed to break every contact in the granular clusters. The ratio ◂+▸E/◂◽.▸Esep∝v2 depends on the collision velocity v but not on the number of grains per cluster, N. We test this hypothesis using granular-mechanics simulations on silica clusters containing a few thousand grains in the velocity range where fragmentation starts. We find that a good parameter to compare different systems is given by ◂+▸E/(Nα◂◽.▸Esep), where α∼2/3. The occurrence of the extra factor Nα is caused by energy dissipation during the collision such that large clusters request a higher impact energy for reaching the same level of fragmentation than small clusters. Energy is dissipated during the collision mainly by normal and tangential (sliding) forces between grains. For large values of the viscoelastic friction parameter, we find smaller cluster fragmentation, since fragment velocities are smaller and allow for fragment recombination.