Surface Energy for Brittle Fracture in Metals from Phonon Frequencies

Abstract

A new method is presented for calculating the surface energy for brittle fracture in a solid. Use is made of the knowledge of some features of the crystal dynamics as well as of the Debye, melting, and boiling temperatures of the material. Predicted values for the surface energy of a number of metals are compared with those based on the elastic theory and with the experimental ones. In particular, easy cleavage of zinc and, in contrast with recent predictions of elastic theory, the preferred plane of fracture in tungsten and beryllium are made plausible.