Abstract
A computation sample of nanocrystallion metal with a crack is proposed in this work. The
structural evolution scheme is employed to model the mass flow, the grain boundary cavitation, and
the crack growth of the specimen under remote loading. The scheme leads to a system of ordinary
differential equations that can be solved by Euler integration. The simulation validates the proposal
that the ductile versus brittle transition of nano-grained metals is dictated by the competition of creep
deformation promoted by grain-boundary kinetics, and the decohesion of grain boundaries.
Publisher
Trans Tech Publications, Ltd.