Effect of a thermodynamically consistent interface stress on thermal-induced nanovoid evolution in NiAl

In the present work, the effect of a thermodynamically consistent inelastic interface stress on nanovoid evolution in NiAl is studied. Such interface stress is introduced for the solid–gas interface of nanovoids within the concept of the phase field approach. The Cahn–Hilliard (CH) equation using the Helmholtz free energy describes the evolution of nanovoid concentration. The interface stress changes the total stress distribution and affects the elastic stress field. Thus, due to the significant effect of the elastic energy on nanovoid dynamics, it can indirectly affect nanovoid nucleation and growth. The highly nonlinear coupled CH and elasticity equations are solved using the finite element method and the COMSOL code. The coupling appears due to the presence of the nonlinear nanovoid inelastic strain in the total strain, the presence of the nonlinear inelastic interface stress in the stress tensor and the presence of elastic energy in the Helmholtz free energy. Several examples of thermal-induced nanovoid evolutions are presented to investigate the effect of the solid–gas interface stress. The obtained results show the significant effect of the interface stress on the total stress distribution, and consequently a different distribution of thermodynamic driving force which can affect the nanostructure evolution and the deformation. Mainly, the interface stress represents a promotive effect on nanovoid growth which results in a faster nanovoid growth and a larger nanovoid concentration and region.

Vacancy Diffusion under a Stress and Kinetic of Nanovoid Growth in Cubic Metals

Elastic fields, generating by defects of the structure, influence the diffusion processes. It leads to the alteration of the phase transformation kinetic. One of the chief aims of our work is to obtain general equations for the diffusion fluxes under strain that give the possibility for using these equations at low temperatures, as in this case the strain influence on the diffusion fluxes is manifested in maximal degree. Our approach takes into consideration, that the strains can alter the surrounding atom configuration near the jumping one and consequently the local magnitude of the activation barrier and a rate of atom jump. The rates of atom jumps in different directions define the flux density of the vacancies. Now we take into account, that strain values are different in the saddle point and in the rest atom position, in differ from our consideration that was done by us earlier. As a result in the development of our approach the general equations for the vacancy fluxes are obtained for fcc and bcc metals. In our paper we discuss the main features of the theory of diffusion under stress and its applications. In particular we examine how elastic stress, arising from nanovoids, influence the diffusion vacancy fluxes and the growth rate of voids in metals.