Applied Physics Letters · 2013 · 12 citations · 19 references
Natural SciencesMaterials EngineeringMaterials ScienceComputational Materials ScienceMechanical Behavior Of MaterialsThin FilmsDeformation MechanismsElastic DeformationFracture MechanicsFracture ToughnessStress-strain BehaviorThin Film Mechanical PropertiesAnisotropic Fracture MechanicsAnisotropyAnisotropy Effects On Fracture InitiationFailure MechanismsNonlinear Strain AnalysisNonlinear Stress-strain ResponseStrain EffectsStructural Failure Mechanisms
The mechanical properties and failure mechanisms of the β-Si3N4 thin layers in basal plane under uniaxial tension are investigated by using molecular dynamics simulations. It is found that the thin layers display a nonlinear stress-strain relationship first at ε < 0.06, and then a linear response at 0.06 < ε < 0.09, and finally the stresses increase nonlinearly with the strains until fracture occurs. The fracture stresses and strains increase with increasing the side lengths of the thin layers, and the trend is same for Young's moduli accompanying little anisotropy. The deterioration in mechanical properties derives from the N6h-Si bonds where the fracture is initiated.
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