Emission of full and partial dislocations from a crack in BCC and FCC metals: An atomistic study

► We investigated crack propagation and blunting in different BCC and FCC metals. ► We applied large scale MD simulations with modern interatomic potentials. ► We aimed at revealing conditions for dislocation emission from a semi-infinite crack. ► In FCC metals, formation of stacking faults and twins is important for brittle cleavage. ► In BCC metals, the crack opens by twinning or emission of full dislocations.