Journal of Materials Research

Table of Contents - 14 February 2012 - Volume  27   

Articles

Modeling microbending of thin films through discrete dislocation dynamics, continuum dislocation theory, and gradient plasticity

Katerina E. Aifantisa1 c1, Daniel Weyganda2, Christian Motza2, Nikolaos Nikitasa3 and Michael Zaisera3

a1 Laboratory of Mechanics and Materials, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Thessaloniki 54124, Greece

a2 Karlsruher Institut für Technologie, Institute for Applied Materials, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany

a3 Institute for Materials and Processes, The University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JL, United Kingdom

Abstract

Constitutive models that describe crystal microplasticity in a continuum framework can be envisaged as average representations of the dynamics of dislocation systems. Thus, their performance needs to be assessed not only by their ability to correctly represent stress–strain characteristics on the specimen scale but also by their ability to correctly represent the evolution of internal stress and strain patterns. Three-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics (3D DDD) simulations provide complete knowledge of this evolution, and averages over ensembles of statistically equivalent simulations can therefore be used to assess the performance of continuum models. In this study, we consider the bending of a free-standing thin film. From a continuum mechanics point of view, this is a one-dimensional (1D) problem as stress and strain fields vary only in one dimension. From a dislocation plasticity point of view, on the other hand, the spatial degrees of freedom associated with the bending and piling up of dislocations are essential. We compare the results of 3D DDD simulations with those obtained from a simple 1D gradient plasticity model and a more complex dislocation-based continuum model. Both models correctly reproduce the nontrivial strain patterns predicted by 3D DDD for the microbending problem.

(Received June 28 2011)

(Accepted September 26 2011)

(Online publication December 14 2011)

Key Words:

  • Microstructure;
  • Dislocations;
  • Grain boundaries

Correspondence:

c1 Address all correspondence to this author. e-mail: k.aifantis@mom.gen.auth.gr

Footnotes

This author was an editor of this focus issue during the review and decision stage. For the JMR policy on review and publication of manuscripts authored by editors, please refer to http://www.mrs.org/jmr-editor-manuscripts/.

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