Kai Kadau's web pages:

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molecular-dynamics simulations movie page
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Molecular-dynamics simulation movies

The MPEG-movies download able are results of molecular-dynamics simulations. The method of molecular-dynamics simulation give insight into atomic processes of a physical system and yields the time evolution on time scales between femto seconds and nano seconds.
Most of the simulations were performed by using an embedded-atom method (EAM) potential (M.S. Daw and M.I. Baskes PRL 50, 1285 (1983.), ) M.S. Daw and M.I. Baskes PRB 29, 1285 (1983.) which consist of a density depend and a two body potential term. The EAM potential is able to reproduce fundamental properties of metals in contrast to pure pair-potentials like the Lenard-Jones (LJ) potential.  Different ensembles are used including the 'natural' NVE, NVT, and the NPT ensemble in different realizations like the Parinello-Rahman scheme (allowing the change of shape and size of the simulation box) and the Anderson scheme (isotropic volume fluctuations).
These movies are results of earlier simulations where the number of atoms is very limited, for more recent movies go to the SPaSM large scale molecular-dynamics home page or to Kai's SPaSM-movie page.



 

Nanophase materials (nanocrystalline materials):



We model the consolidation process of a nanophase Iron-Nickel alloy from atom clusters at room temperature. The isolated clusters, each containing about 1000 atoms, initialized in the bcc structure transform into the fcc structure before contacting each other. After some simulation time they begin to contact by forming necks.  During the consolidation process the voids are getting smaller. Clearly visible is the slipping of different fcc(111)-planes. At the the end of the simulations the consolidation of the nanophase material is about 96 percent of the bulk value for the simulated alloy. The vertical pressure increases from zero to aprox 8 GPa. The total real-time showed in the movie is 60 pico seconds, one picture is the average of 750 femto seconds.

Movie13 (consolidation process)(9MB)


Fe on Cu(001):

At 300K a 15 ML Fe slab on a Cu(001)-substrate is cooled down. In this movie you can follow the increasing bcc-formation with decreasing temperature. In the first picture the whole sample is shown (Fe atoms blue and Cu atoms orange). In the following movie the Fe-film is shown slice-wice whereas the bcc structure is shown in blue and the fcc structure in orange. The sample contains approximately 40000 atoms. The whole playing time is 12 pico seconds.

Movie Fe on Cu (2.5 MB)

The second movie shows an Fe-Island on a Cu(001)-substrate. Here the main nucleation process starts at the border of the island. In contrast to the complete Fe-film the amount of transformed Fe is significantly higher, due to the lack of lateral stress.

Movie Fe-Island on Cu (2.0 MB)


Martensitic transformations

(here actually austenitic transformations) of an unordered Iron (80 percent) Nickel (20 percent) alloy due to heating(425K-1225K) are shown. The sample (consists of 686 atoms) change from a bcc structure into a twinned and other stacking faults including fcc structure at a temperature of approximately 900K (due to high heating rates the sample is overheated). The iron atoms are the blue and the nickel atoms are the orange spheres. The total real time showed in the movies is 15 pico seconds, one picture is the average of 30 femto seconds:

Movie1(whole sample is shown)(7MB)
Movie2(part of the sample is shown)(6MB)
Movie3(bcc cubic unit cell is shown)(4MB)
Movie4(bcc(110)-plane transforming into fcc(111) is shown)(6MB)
Movie5(Something else is shown(one picture is the average of 75 femto seconds))(8MB)

The next two movies (similar sample like above) show the nucleation of austenite (here fcc) during heating (425K-1225K) and the nucleation of martensite (here bcc) during cooling (1175K-10K). The time scale for this movies are larger because here the germination dynamics is of interest and not the atom dynamics. One picture is the average of 600 femto seconds, the total time showed in these movies is 240 pico seconds. Here the blue color indicates the martensite (bcc) and the orange color the austenite (fcc). After the back transition the sample regains the original shape which is a kind of shape memory effect, which is of technological interest. In the simulations the shape memory effect occurs because of the reduced symmetry of the transformed sample due to the micro structure (twinning, stacking faults).

Movie6(heating)(3MB)
Movie7(cooling)(3MB)


Friction scenario:


At 300K a Nickel tip (pyramidal trunk) in the fcc-structure slides over an iron substrate which is in the bcc-structure. The sample contains approximately 9000 atoms. Both contacting surfaces are the (100) surfaces. In this geometry the contact is performed by simple elongation. In the movie the pictures are averages of 12 pico seconds, so that the whole playing time is about 300 pico seconds. This simulations are attempts to describe an atomic-force microscope (AFM) with means of molecular-dynamics Simulations. Nickel atoms remaining on the bcc surface arrange according to the substrate structure in the bcc structure.

Movie9 (slow tip velocity (10m/s))(0.5MB)


Contact scenario:

At 50K a Nickel tip (pyramidal trunk) and a nickel substrate were brought together with a remaining chink of half a lattice constant. The sample consist of approximately. 4000 atoms. Both surfaces are (111)-surfaces. The contact is due to the forming of an additional layer. The mechanism of forming the additional layer seems to be connected with a ductile crack process. In the case of (100) surfaces the contact is due to simple elongation. The total real time showed in the movies here is 2.25 pico seconds (one picture is the average over 75 femto seconds). This simulations are also attempts to describe an atomic-force microscope (AFM) with means of molecular-dynamics simulations:

Movie10 (view in the [-110]-direction)(0.5MB)
Movie11 (view in the [11-2]-direction (0.5MB)


Homes

Theoretical Low-Temperature Physics (University Duisburg, Germany)
Theoretical Division (T-11) (LANL, USA)
Kai Kadau's home page