Prediction of Spontaneous Plastic Deformation of Irradiated Metallic Glasses due to Thermal Spike-Induced Plasticity

Radiation response of amorphous metal alloys: Subcascades, thermal spikes and super-quenched zones

“…well below T G for this composition. Melting within TSs produces stress pulses that travel through the model at the longitudinal speed of sound (v L = 5275 m s À1 ) [19]. Unless special precautions are taken, these elastic waves begin to interact with their periodic images at t % 14.5 ps.…”

“…Previous modeling studies have investigated radiation response in metallic glass compositions, including Ni-P [16], Cu-Ti [7,17], Cu-Zr [8,18] and Cu-Nb [19]. We choose to study amorphous alloys of copper (Cu) and niobium (Nb) (a-Cu x Nb 1Àx ) because their atomic-scale structure has been characterized experimentally [20] and a reliable embedded atom method (EAM) interatomic potential has been constructed to model them [21].…”

A “figure of merit” for susceptibility of irradiated amorphous metal alloys to thermal spike-induced plasticity

“…TSIP occurs when the stress pulse is of sufficient intensity to trigger plastic deformation in surrounding, unmelted material [16]. While TSs tend to be ellipsoidal at the moment of their formation [ Fig.…”

“…No analogous phenomenon has been observed in crystalline metals. 1 In the present work, we construct a mechanistic model for one distinctive radiation response of amorphous metal alloys, recently predicted using large-scale molecular dynamics simulations: thermal-spike induced plasticity (TSIP) [16]. TSIP occurs because rapid melting within thermal spikes produces stress pulses of sufficient amplitude to trigger plastic deformation in surrounding, unmelted material.…”

“…dimensional changes in structural components) and beneficial in others (e.g. in radiation sensing or radiation-induced actuation) [16]. In this Article we formulate a micromechanical model for TSIP in metallic glasses through application of continuum solid mechanics and thermodynamics.…”