Molecular dynamics simulation of dislocation-obstacle interactions in irradiated materials

Abstract

The interactions of a dislocation with commonly observed irradiation induced defects such as a stackin g fault tetrahedron (SFT) and a void are studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation methods. The simulation of an SFT interacting with a dislocation in face centered cubic (FCC) copper (Cu) reveals that an SFT is a strong obstacle against a dislocation motion, with dislocation detachment often involving an Orowan like mechanism. The resulting SFT generally involves a shear step, although partial absorption is also observed in some specific interaction geometries. Dislocation interaction with a void has been studied in body centered cubic (BCC) molybdenum (Mo). The dislocation locally annihilates upon contact with the void and then re-nucleates on the void surface as the dislocation glides past the void. The interaction results in the simple shear of the void by one Burger's vector. The obstacle strength of the void is measured using conjugate gradient molecular statics (MS) method as a function of void size. A large increase in the obstacle strength is observed for a void size greater than 3 nm in diameter.