Abstract
Graphene is an ideal reinforcement material for metal-matrix composites owing to its exceptional mechanical properties. However, as a 2D layered material, graphene shows highly anisotropic behavior, which greatly affects the mechanical properties of graphene-based composites. In this study, the interaction between an edge dislocation (b = 1/2 (111)) and a pair of graphene nanosheets (GNSs) in GNS reinforced iron matrix composite (GNS/Fe) was investigated using molecular dynamic simulations under simple shearing conditions. We studied the cases wherein the GNS pair was parallel to the (1 1 ¯ 0), (11 2 ¯ ), and (111) planes, respectively. The results showed that the GNS reinforcement can effectively hinder dislocation motion, which improves the yield strength. The interaction between the edge dislocation and the GNS pair parallel to the (11 2 ¯ ) plane showed the strongest effect of blocking dislocations among the three cases, resulting in increases in the shear modulus and yield stress of 107% and 1400%, respectively. This remarkable enhancement was attributed to the Orowan “by-passing” strengthening mechanism, whereas cross-slip of dislocation segments was observed during looping around GNSs. Our results might contribute to the development of high-strength iron matrix composites.
Highlights
Graphene was firstly fabricated and identified as a single 2D carbon sheet with the same structure as individual layers of graphite by Novoselov and Geim in 2004 [1]
We focused on the stress–strain response of the graphene nanosheets (GNSs)/Fe composite reinforced by GNS pairs at different location with a GNS content of 0.7 vol % during deformation and observed the dislocation evolution
The stress–strain curves from the molecular dynamics (MD) simulations are shown in Figure 2a for two cases, with and without the GNS pair in the iron matrix
Summary
Graphene was firstly fabricated and identified as a single 2D carbon sheet with the same structure as individual layers of graphite by Novoselov and Geim in 2004 [1]. Graphene comprises a monolayer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. It is an extremely stiff material with an intrinsic strength of 130 GPa and Young’s modulus of 1.0 TPa [2] and many other excellent physical and chemical properties [3,4]. These features make it attractive to be used in a vast number of applications.
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