Analysis of plastic deformation in nanoscale metallic multilayers with coherent and incoherent interfaces

Nanoscale metallic multilayered (NMM) composites possess ultra high strength (order of GPa) and high ductility, and exhibit high fatigue resistance. Their mechanical behavior is governed mainly by interface properties (coherent and/or incoherent interfaces), dislocation mechanisms in small volume, and dislocation–interface interaction. In this work, we investigate these effects within a dislocation dynamics (DD) framework and analyze the mechanical behavior of two systems: (1) a bi-material system (CuNi) with coherent interface and (2) a newly developed tri-material system (CuNiNb) composed of both coherent and incoherent interfaces. For the bi-material case we analyze the influence of networks of interfacial dislocations whose nature and distribution are commensurate with the level of relaxation and loading of the structure. Misfit and pre-deposited interfacial dislocation arrays, as well as combinations of both, are studied and the dependence of strength on layer thickness is reported, along with observed dislocation mechanisms. It is shown that interfacial defect configurations significantly alter the strength and mechanical behavior of the material. Furthermore, it is shown that the implementation of penetrable interfaces in DD captures the strength dependence at layer thicknesses on the order of 3–7 nm. For the tri-material case we analyze the effects of coherent and incoherent interfaces in large-scale simulations. The results show that these materials have strong strength-size dependence but are limited by the strength of the incoherent (CuNb) interface which is weak in shear. The weak interface acts as a dislocation sink. This in turn induces an internal shear stress field that activates cross-slip in the adjacent CuNi interlace and thus causing softening. Moreover, it is shown that the yield stress of the CuNiNb system is controlled by the volume fraction of the Nb. Because Nb is the most compliant of the three materials, an increase in volume fraction of Nb decreases the overall yield strength of the material.