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Atomistic mechanisms governing elastic limit and incipient plasticity in crystals

Nature volume 418, pages 307–310 (2002)Cite this article

Abstract

Nanometre-scale contact experiments1,2,3,4,5,6 and simulations7,8,9,10 demonstrate the potential to probe incipient plasticity—the onset of permanent deformation—in crystals. Such studies also point to the need for an understanding of the mechanisms governing defect nucleation in a broad range of fields and applications. Here we present a fundamental framework for describing incipient plasticity that combines results of atomistic and finite-element modelling, theoretical concepts of structural stability at finite strain, and experimental analysis. We quantify two key features of the nucleation and subsequent evolution of defects. A position-sensitive criterion based on elastic stability determines the location and character of homogeneously nucleated defects. We validate this stability criterion at both the atomistic and the continuum levels. We then propose a detailed interpretation of the experimentally observed sequence of displacement bursts to elucidate the role of secondary defect sources operating locally at stress levels considerably smaller than the ideal strength required for homogeneous nucleation. These findings provide a self-consistent explanation of the discontinuous elastic–plastic response in nanoindentation measurements, and a guide to fundamental studies across many disciplines that seek to quantify and predict the initiation and early stages of plasticity.

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Figure 1: Nanoindentation responses.
Figure 2: Correspondence of MD and FEM simulations in 〈111〉 cylindrical indentation of Cu.
Figure 3: Homogeneous defect nucleation in 〈111〉 spherical indentation of Al.
Figure 4: Incipient plasticity in 〈111〉 spherical indentation of Al.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Defense University Research Initiative on NanoTechnology (DURINT) on ‘Damage- and Failure-Resistant Nanostructured and Interfacial Materials’ which is supported at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology by the Office of Naval Research. We thank A. S. Argon for comments. K.J.V.V. acknowledges the National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship programme. J.L., T.Z. and S.Y. acknowledge support by Honda R&D, AFOSR, NSF/KDI/DMR, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.

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Author notes

  1. Ju Li, Krystyn J. Van Vliet, Sidney Yip and Subra Suresh: These authors contributed equally to this work

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA

    Ju Li, Ting Zhu & Sidney Yip

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139, USA

    Krystyn J. Van Vliet, Sidney Yip & Subra Suresh

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  1. Ju Li
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Correspondence to Sidney Yip.

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Li, J., Van Vliet, K., Zhu, T. et al. Atomistic mechanisms governing elastic limit and incipient plasticity in crystals. Nature 418, 307–310 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/nature00865

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