Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Grain-boundary diffusion creep in nanocrystalline palladium by molecular-dynamics simulation.

Journal Article · · Acta Materialia

Molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations of fully three-dimensional (3D), model nanocrystalline face-centered cubic metal microstructures are used to study grain-boundary (GB) diffusion creep, one mechanism considered to contribute to the deformation of nanocrystalline materials. To overcome the well-known limitations associated with the relatively short time interval used in our MD simulation (typically <10{sup -8} s), our simulations are performed at elevated temperatures where the distinct effects of GB diffusion are clearly identifiable. In order to prevent grain growth and thus to enable steady-state diffusion creep to be observed, our input microstructures were tailored to (1) have a uniform grain shape and a uniform grain size of nm dimensions and (2) contain only high-energy GBs which are known to exhibit rather fast, liquid-like self-diffusion. Our simulations reveal that under relatively high tensile stresses these microstructures, indeed, exhibit steady-state diffusion creep that is homogeneous, with a strain rate that agrees quantitatively with that given by the Coble-creep formula. The grain-size scaling of the Coble creep is found to decrease from d{sup -3} to d{sup -2} when the grain diameter becomes of the order of the GB width. For the first time a direct observation of the grain-boundary sliding as an accommodation mechanism for the Coble creep, known as Lifshitz sliding, is reported.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
Sponsoring Organization:
SC
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
949333
Report Number(s):
ANL/MSD/JA-40068
Journal Information:
Acta Materialia, Journal Name: Acta Materialia Journal Issue: 1 ; Jan. 8, 2002 Vol. 50; ISSN 1359-6454; ISSN ACMAFD
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
ENGLISH

Similar Records

MOLECULAR DYNAMICS STUDY OF DIFFUSIONAL CREEP IN NANOCRYSTALLINE UO2
Journal Article · Mon Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · Acta Materialia · OSTI ID:939198

Molecular-dynamics simulation of grain-boundary diffusion creep.
Journal Article · Wed Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1997 · Interface Sci. · OSTI ID:938069

ATOMISTIC SIMULATIONS OF DIFFUSIONAL CREEP IN A NANOCRYSTALLINE BODY-CENTERED CUBIC MATERIAL
Journal Article · Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · Acta Materialia · OSTI ID:935788