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The Roles Of Atomic-Scale Dynamics And Structure In The Brittle Fracture Of Silica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Thomas P. Swiler ,
Tansen Varghese  and
Joseph H. Simmons
Thomas P. Swiler
Affiliation:
Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque NM 87185
Tansen Varghese
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611
Joseph H. Simmons
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville FL 32611
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Abstract

We modeled the initiation of fracture in vitreous silica at various strain rates using molecular dynamics simulations. We avoided biasing the location for fracture initiation within the sample so that we could study the effects of dynamics and structure on determining the path to fracture, defined as the particular bonds that break during the course of fracture. We sought to show that the path to fracture would be primarily determined by the local variations in the structure of the vitreous phase at low strain rates, with diminished sensitivity on structural variations at higher strain rates. However, the results of our model indicate that the path to fracture is dependent not only on the initial structure of the system and the applied strain rate, but also on the initial phase of the thermal vibrations. This underscores the importance of atomic dynamics in determining the path to fracture in brittle materials and provides a justification for extending the analysis of fracture surfaces to the near-atomic scale.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 409: Symposium Q – Fracture-Instablility Dynamics, scaling and Ductile/Brittle Behavior , 1995 , 327
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1996

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