Title: Modelling size effects in micro/nano-systems by including interfacial effects in a gradient plasticity framework

Authors: Rashid K. Abu Al-Rub

Addresses: Zachry Department of Civil Engineering, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA

Abstract: The effect of the material microstructural interfaces increases as the surface-to-volume ratio increases. It is shown in this work that interfacial effects have a profound impact on the scale-dependent plasticity encountered in micro/nano-systems. This is achieved by developing a physically-based higher-order gradient-dependent plasticity theory that enforces microscopic boundary conditions at interfaces and free surfaces. These non-standard boundary conditions relate the micro traction stress at the interface to the interfacial energy. Application of the proposed framework to size effects in biaxial tension of a thin-film on an elastic substrate is presented. Three film-interface conditions are modelled: soft, intermediate, and hard interfaces.

Keywords: interfacial energy; non-local; size effect; thin films; length scale.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMSI.2010.035210

International Journal of Materials and Structural Integrity, 2010 Vol.4 No.2/3/4, pp.278 - 290

Published online: 14 Sep 2010 *

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