Multiscale Modeling of Contact Plasticity and Nanoindentation in Nanostructed FCC Metals

Download or read book Multiscale Modeling of Contact Plasticity and Nanoindentation in Nanostructed FCC Metals written by Virginie Dupont and published by . This book was released on 2008 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Single crystals with different sizes are modeled in order to investigate the effects of the free boundaries as well as of the thickness of the samples. It is shown that the yield point and the incipient plasticity mechanisms are similar for all simulations. However, the hardness of the nanowires is found to decrease with the nanowire size during nanoindentation, due to the interaction of prismatic loops and dislocations with the free boundaries. This dissertation has shed light on the plastic deformation mechanisms under nanoscale contact. The results obtained will help the scientific community gain a better understanding of the behavior of nanomaterials, which will lead to the fabrication of more reliable nanodevices.