Possible origin of the discrepancy in Peierls stresses of fcc metals: First-principles simulations of dislocation mobility in aluminum

Dislocation motion governs the strength and ductility of metals, and the Peierls stress (σp) quantifies dislocation mobility. σp measurements carry substantial uncertainty in face-centered cubic (fcc) metals, and σp values can differ by up to two orders of magnitude. We perform first-principles simulations based on orbital-free density functional theory (OFDFT) to calculate the most accurate currently possible σp for the motion of 12 〈110〉 {111} dislocations in fcc Al. We predict the σps of screw and edge dislocations (dissociated in their equilibrium state) to be 1.9 × 10−4G and 4.9 × 10−5G, respectively (G is the shear modulus). These values fall within the range of measurements from mechanical deformation tests (10−4–10−5G). OFDFT also finds a new metastable structure for a screw dislocation not seen in earlier simulations, in which a dislocation core on the glide plane does not dissociate into partials. The corresponding σp for this undissociated dislocation is predicted to be 1.1 × 10−2G, which agrees with typical Bordoni peak measurements (10−2–10−3G). The calculated σps for dissociated and undissociated screw dislocations differ by two orders of magnitude. The presence of undissociated, as well as dissociated, screw dislocations may resolve the decades-long mystery in fcc metals regarding the two orders of magnitude discrepancy in σp measurements.