Molecular Dynamics Study on the Impact of Cu Clusters at the BCC-Fe Grain Boundary on the Tensile Properties of Crystal

HC Zhang and XF Wang and HR Li and CQ Li and YG Li, METALS, 10, 1533 (2020).

DOI: 10.3390/met10111533

The molecular dynamics (MD) method was used to simulate and calculate the segregation energy and cohesive energy of Cu atoms at the sigma 3111(110) and sigma 3112(110) grain boundaries, and the tensile properties of the BCC-Fe crystal, with the grain boundaries containing coherent Cu clusters of different sizes (a diameter of 10 angstrom, 15 angstrom and 20 angstrom). The results showed that Cu atoms will spontaneously segregate towards the grain boundaries and tend to exist in the form of large-sized, low-density Cu clusters at the grain boundaries. When Cu cluster exists at the sigma 3111(110) grain boundary, the increase in the size of the Cu cluster leads to an increase in the probability of vacancy formation inside the Cu cluster during the tensile process, weakening the breaking strength of the crystal. When the Cu cluster exists at the sigma 3112(110) grain boundary, the Cu cluster with a diameter of 10 angstrom will reduce the strain hardening strength of the crystal, but the plastic deformation ability of the crystal will not be affected, and the existence of Cu clusters with a diameter of 15 angstrom and 20 angstrom will suppress the structural phase transformation of the crystal, and significantly decrease the plastic deformation ability of the crystal, thereby resulting in embrittlement of the crystal.

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