Oct. 27, 2021

Macroscopic phenomena, such as fracture, corrosion, and degradation of materials, are associated with various reactions which progress heterogeneously. Thus, material properties are generally determined not by their averaged characteristics but by specific features in heterogeneity (or ‘trigger sites’) of phases, chemical states, etc., where the key reactions that dictate macroscopic properties initiate and propagate.

In this study, we in situ examined how the atomic structure of copper changes during the fracture process on the nanosecond scale using X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction. The fracture was triggered by a shock wave induced by an optical laser and was examined with a single 100-ps synchrotron X-ray pulse with a delay time of 0–200 ns. This novel experimental approach provides insights into how the short- and long-range order of an atomic structure change on the nanosecond scale. The results showed that there was an irreversible change in the deformation state on the nanosecond scale.

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Reference

Unique atomic structure of metals at the moment of fracture induced by laser shock
Yasuhiro Niwa, Kei Takahashi, Tokushi Sato, Kouhei Ichiyanagi, Hitoshi Abe, Masao Kimura
Materials Science and Engineering: A, 831, p. 142199 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2021.142199