Prismatic and helical dislocation loop generation from defects

Abstract Plastic deformation induced by stress concentrations near crystal defects occurs through the generation of prismatic dislocation loops (PDL). The production of PDLs leads to void growth and particle decoherence. In this work we use dislocation dynamics simulations to characterize two mechanisms for PDL formation. The first mechanism corresponds to a classical model of PDL generation from dislocation nucleation. The second mechanism considers PDL generation through cross-slip of a screw dislocation intersecting the particle. We systematically study the effect of the crystal lattice and defect type on PDL generation for both mechanisms as a function of pressure. The simulations show image stresses produced by the dislocation's interaction with the free surface of a void suppresses PDL generation. The highest PDL generation rates are found for a dislocation nucleated from a void in a body-centered cubic lattice. Our simulations also show helical coiling of screw dislocations produces a continuous emission of PDLs without the need for dislocation nucleation at pressures as low as 1.0 GPa.