Plate-like precipitate effects on plasticity of Al-Cu micro-pillar: {100}-interfacial slip

TL;DR

This study reveals how plate-like $ heta'$-Al$_2$Cu precipitates influence plasticity in Al-Cu micro-pillars, highlighting the discovery of {100}-slip along interfaces and elucidating the underlying dislocation mechanisms through simulations and stress analysis.

Contribution

It uncovers the role of coherent precipitate/matrix interfaces in enabling {100}-slip and details the dislocation mechanisms facilitating this slip in Al-Cu micro-pillars.

Findings

First observation of {100}-slip in Al alloys at room temperature.

Dislocation cross-slip occurs via kink-pair mechanism at interfaces.

Interfacial slip is stabilized and affected by the Peierls stress.

Abstract

In this paper, we study the effects of $\theta ^\prime$-Al$_2$Cu plate-like precipitates on the plasticity of Al-Cu micro-pillars, with a sample size allowing the precipitates to cross the entire micro-pillar. {100}-slip traces are identified for the first time in Al and Al alloys at room temperature. We investigate the underlying mechanisms of this unusual {100}-slip, and show that it operates along the coherent $\theta ^\prime$-Al$_2$Cu precipitate/$\alpha$-Al matrix interface. A combination of molecular dynamics simulations and stress analysis indicates that screw dislocations can cross-slip from the {111} plane onto the {100} $\theta ^\prime$-Al$_2$Cu/$\alpha$-Al interface, then move on it through a kink-pair mechanism, providing a reasonable explanation to the observed {100}-slips. The roles of the $\theta ^\prime$-Al$_2$Cu/$\alpha$-Al matrix interface on the properties of interfacial dislocations are studied within the Peierls-Nabarro framework, showing that the interface can stabilize the {100} screw dislocations from the spreading of the core, and increases the Peierls stress. These results improve our understanding of the mechanical behavior of Al-Cu micro-pillars at room temperature, and imply an enhanced role of interfacial slip in Al-Cu based alloys at elevated temperature in consideration of the underlying kink-pair mechanism.