Atomistic simulation of martensite decay

A Oila, MODELLING AND SIMULATION IN MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING, 30, 060401 (2022).

DOI: 10.1088/1361-651X/ac72bb

Molecular dynamics simulations were used to study the phenomenon of martensite decay in gears by deforming a grinding mark subjected to contact stresses exerted by a rigid plate. The velocities imposed on the rigid plate and the interatomic potential chosen to represent the interactions between the rigid plate and the grinding mark allow for a realistic representation of an elastohydrodynamic contact with an average friction coefficient of 0.05 and all values below 0.1. Due to the initial plastic deformation the height of the grinding mark reduces significantly between two loading cycles, consequently, during the second loading cycle the deformation is predominantly elastic and dislocations only nucleate during the first loading cycle. The diffusion of carbon atoms from the grinding mark leads to the formation of plate- like regions depleted in carbon and precipitation of cementite, the products of martensite decay, as observed experimentally.

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