Related papers: Etched Glass Surfaces, Atomic Force Microscopy and…
Understanding and controlling physical aging, i.e. the spontaneous temporal evolution of out-of-equilibrium systems, represents one of the greatest tasks in material science. Recent studies have revealed the existence of a complex atomic…
Using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the surface properties of lithium, sodium, and potassium silicate glasses containing 25 mole % of alkali oxide. The comparison of two types of surfaces, a melt-formed surface…
The dynamic fragmentation of residually stressed solids involves a complex interplay between stored elastic energy, stress wave propagation, and crack instabilities. In this work, we investigate the fracture mechanics of chemically…
For 3D geometries, we consider stones (modeled as convex polyhedra) subject to weathering with planar slices of random orientation and depth successively removing material, ultimately yielding smooth and round (i.e. spherical) shapes. An…
The understanding of glassy dynamics above the devitrification temperature of a glass remains poorly understood. Here, we use real-time AFM imaging to build a spatio-temporal map of the relaxation dynamics of a highly stable glass into its…
Developing a macroscopic theory of elasto-plasticity in amorphous solids calls for (i) identifying the relevant macro state-variables and (ii) discriminating the different time-scales which characterize these variables. In current theories…
Aging behavior is an important effect in the friction properties of solid surfaces. In this paper we investigate the temporal evolution of the static properties of a granular medium by studying the aging over time of the maximum stability…
Recent literature indicates that attractive interactions between particles of a dense liquid play a secondary role in determining its bulk mechanical properties. Here we show that, in contrast with their apparent unimportance to the bulk…
The interrelation of dynamic processes active on separated time-scales in glasses and viscous liquids is investigated using a model displaying two time-scale bifurcations both between fast and secondary relaxation and between secondary and…
Glasses feature a broad distribution of relaxation times and activation energies without an obvious characteristic scale. At the same time, macroscopic quantities such as Newtonian viscosity and nonlinear plastic deformation, are…
Hierarchical structures are very common in Nature, but only recently have they been systematically studied in materials physics, in order to understand the specific effects they can have on the mechanical properties of various systems.…
The fracture surface of a Ti3Al-based alloy is studied using both an atomic force microscope and a standard scanning electron microscope. Results are shown to be quantitatively comparable. Two fracture regimes are observed. It is shown in…
We examine the atomistic scale dependence of material's resistance-to-failure by numerical simulations and analytical analysis in electrical analogs of brittle crystals. We show that fracture toughness depends on the lattice geometry in a…
Crystal lattice deformations can be described microscopically by explicitly accounting for the position of atoms or macroscopically by continuum elasticity. In this work, we report on the description of continuous elastic fields derived…
Solids subjected to repeated cycles of stress or deformation can fail after several cycles, a phenomenon termed fatigue failure. Although intensely investigated for a wide range of materials owing to its obvious practical importance, a…
Glassy dynamics was investigated for thin films of atactic polystyrene by complex electric capacitance measurements using dielectric relaxation spectroscopy. During the isothermal aging process the real part of the electric capacitance…
The spatial scaling law and intermittency of the $V_2 O_5$ surface roughness by atomic force microscopy has been investigated. The intermittency of the height fluctuations has been checked by two different methods, first, by measuring…
Recent advances in electron microscopy trigger the question whether attosecond electron diffraction can resolve atomic-scale electron dynamics in crystalline materials in space and time. Here we explore the physics of the relevant…
We theoretically investigate the temperature dependence of the reversible structural relaxation time and diffusion constant of metallic glasses under pressure. The compression not only changes the glassy dynamics, but also generates a…
Inelastic deformation of metallic glasses occurs via slip events with avalanche dynamics similar to those of earthquakes. For the first time in these materials, measurements have been obtained with sufficiently high temporal resolution to…