Related papers: Local structural ordering determines the mechanica…
Amorphous silica ($a-SiO_2$) is a widely used inorganic material. Interestingly, the relationship between the local atomic structures of $a-SiO_2$ and their effects on ductility and fracture is seldom explored. Here, we combine large-scale…
Microscopic models of the interaction between grain boundaries (GBs) and both dislocations and cracks are of importance in understanding the role of microstructure in altering the mechanical properties of a material. A recently developed…
We formulate a generic concept model for the deformation of a locally disordered, macroscopically homogeneous material which undergoes irreversible strain softening during plastic deformation. We investigate the influence of the degree of…
Amorphous solids lack long-range order. Therefore identifying structural defects -- akin to dislocations in crystalline solids -- that carry plastic flow in these systems remains a daunting challenge. By comparing many different structural…
Interfacial segregation can stabilize grain structures and even lead to grain boundary complexion transitions. However, understanding of the complexity of such phenomena in polycrystalline materials is limited, as most studies focus on…
A recent report on successful employment of the grain boundary strengthening to design extraordinarily damage-tolerant architected materials (i.e. meta-crystals) necessitates fundamental studies to understand the underlying mechanisms…
One long-lasting puzzle in amorphous solids is shear localization, where local plastic deformation involves cooperative particle rearrangements in small regions of a few inter-particle distances, self-organizing into shear bands and…
Atomistic simulations are used to explore the effect of interfacial structure on residual radiation damage. Specifically, an ordered grain boundary is compared to a disordered amorphous intergranular film, to investigate how interface…
Paradigmatic model systems, which are used to study the mechanical response of matter, are random networks of point-atoms, random sphere packings, or simple crystal lattices, all of these models assume central-force interactions between…
Linear complexions are stable defect states that form along dislocations and recent experiments have demonstrated strengthening effects exceeding classical precipitation hardening predictions, motivating a detailed study of nanoscale…
Understanding and controlling the properties and dynamics of topological defects is a lasting challenge in the study of two-dimensional materials, and is crucial to achieve high-quality films required for technological applications. Here…
The migration of grain boundaries leads to grain growth in polycrystals and is one mechanism of grain-boundary-mediated plasticity, especially in nanocrystalline metals. This migration is due to the movement of dislocation-like defects,…
The migration of grain boundaries leads to grain growth in polycrystals and is one mechanism of grain-boundary-mediated plasticity, especially in nanocrystalline metals. This migration is due to the movement of dislocation-like defects,…
The plasticity of amorphous solids undergoing shear is characterized by quasi-localized rearrangements of particles. While many models of plasticity exist, the precise relationship between plastic dynamics and the structure of a particle's…
The movement and deformation of mineral grains in rocks control the failure behavior of rocks. However, at high resolution, the physical and mechanical behavior of three-dimensional microstructures in rocks under uniaxial compression has…
Granular materials, composed of discrete solid grains, can be modeled as simple mechanical systems. However, these materials can undergo spontaneous slow deformation, or creep, even under small forces and while in apparent mechanical…
Grain boundaries, the two-dimensional (2D) defects between differently oriented crystals, control mechanical and transport properties of materials. Our fundamental understanding of grain boundaries is still incomplete even after nearly a…
Materials containing a high proportion of grain boundaries offer significant potential for the development of radiation-resistent structural materials. However, a proper understanding of the connection between the radiation-induced…
The interplay between dilatancy and particle alignment in sheared granular materials composed of non-spherical particles leads to morphological inhomogeneity. Dilatancy, driven by interparticle friction, causes the packing to expand, while…
Thermodynamic dislocation theory incorporating dislocation impediment by the grain boundaries is developed to analyze the shear test of polycrystals. With a small set of physics based material parameters, we are able to simulate the…