Abstract
Kinking is a deformation mechanism ubiquitous to layered systems, ranging from the nanometer scale in layered crystalline solids, to the kilometer scale in geological formations. Herein, we demonstrate its origins in the former through multiscale experiments and atomistic simulations. When compressively loaded parallel to their basal planes, layered crystalline solids first buckle elastically, then nucleate atomic-scale, highly stressed ripplocation boundaries – a process driven by redistributing strain from energetically expensive in-plane bonds to cheaper out-of-plane bonds. The consequences are far reaching as the unique mechanical properties of layered crystalline solids are highly dependent upon their ability to deform by kinking. Moreover, the compressive strength of numerous natural and engineered layered systems depends upon the ease of kinking or lack there of.
Highlights
Kinking, a deformation mechanism in which a region buckles and undergoes a uniform rotation to accommodate compressive strain, is ubiquitous in nature and occurs in a variety of natural and engineering materials
A single grain was indented in polycrystalline Zr2AlC, and an electrontransparent thin foil was extracted from the area beneath the indent
The importance of this atomic-scale kink band cannot be overemphasised since (i) it unequivocally demonstrates that atomic layers buckle, and (ii) it shows that at very high kink angles, the MX-layers do bend, and fracture
Summary
A deformation mechanism in which a region buckles and undergoes a uniform rotation to accommodate compressive strain, is ubiquitous in nature and occurs in a variety of natural and engineering materials. These include graphite, mica, ice, wood, laminated composites, and geological formations, spanning over 13 orders of magnitude in scale from nanometers to tens of kilometers. A kink band is confined by two kink boundaries (KBs) and typically assumes a stove pipe configuration (left inset Fig. 1a) At this time, it is fairly well-established that buckling causes the nucleation and growth of kink bands. Some mechanistic commonalities of kink band formation in various layered
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