Coarse Grained Models of Heterogeneous Plasticity Using the Discrete Element Method—Bulk Metallic Glasses and Beyond

Abstract

Plastic deformation proceeds through a sequence of stochastic local slip followed by load redistribution. With continued deformation this builds up complex stress fields and develops a heterogeneous pat- tern of local strength, leading to the emergence of microvoids and cracks. The goal of this research is to develop a coarse grained model for crystal plasticity that captures the physics emergent form stochastic heterogeneous deformation. The method based on the discrete element method (DEM), an approach developed for modeling of granular materials and recently adapted for amorphous brittle solids. DEM models the material as a collection of interacting elements. The framework naturally captures the elastic coupling due to geometric frustration in a system under heterogeneous deformation and the emergent phenomena that develop from it. This paper presents the accomplishment of intermediate steps towards modeling crystal plasticity: modeling anisotropic elasticity, and modeling isotropic plasticity.