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Mechanisms of Intergranular Fracture

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Diana Farkas
Diana Farkas*
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering Virginia PolytechnicInstitute and State University Blacksburg, VA 24061
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Abstract

We present a study of the atomistic mechanisms of crack propagation along grain boundaries in metals and alloys. The failure behavior showing cleavage crack growth and/or crack-tip dislocation emission is demonstrated using atomistic simulations for an embedded-atom model. The simulations follow the quasi-equilibrium growth of a crack as the stress intensity applied increases. Dislocations emitted from crack tips normally blunt the crack and inhibit cleavage, inducing ductile behavior. When the emitted dislocations stay near the crack tip (sessile dislocations), they do blunt the crack but brittle cleavage can occur after the emission of a sufficient number of dislocations. The fracture process occurs as a combination of dislocation emission/micro-cleavage portions that are controlled by the local atomistic structure of the grain boundary. The grain boundary is shown to be a region where dislocation emission is easier, a mechanism that competes with the lower cohesive strength of the boundary region.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 539: Symposium M – Fracture & Ductile vs. Brittle Behavior - Theory, Modelling… , 1998 , 291
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1999

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