Size effect on the mechanical responses of aluminum nanoparticles under indentation: A molecular dynamics study

C Chen and LY Zhao and Y Liu, TRIBOLOGY INTERNATIONAL, 177, 107959 (2023).

DOI: 10.1016/j.triboint.2022.107959

Micro-and nanoparticles are significant raw materials for cold spray and aerosol deposition in which the plastic deformation of particles plays an important role. The mechanical properties of the micro-and nanoparticle are greatly influenced by size. Aluminum particles of various radii under various spherical indenters are simulated with molecular dynamics method to investigate the size effect on the mechanical responses at nanoscale. The particle radius varies in a wide range from 20 nm to 400 nm, and the indenter radius is about 4 nm to 40 mu m. As the onset of plastic deformation, the first yielding point of the force-displacement curve is influenced by both the sizes of the particle and the indenter, which indicates that the mechanical behavior of nanoparticles depends not only on their own sizes but also on their loading conditions. The ratio between the particle size and the indenter size is found to be an essential factor, which categorizes the indentation models. Under the same ratio, the smaller particle is easier to activate plastic deformation.

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