Nanovoid cavitation by dislocation emission in aluminum

This Letter is concerned with the determination of the transition paths attendant to nanovoid growth in aluminum under hydrostatic tension. The analysis is, therefore, based on energy minimization at 0 K. Aluminum is modeled by the Ercolessi-Adams embedded-atom method, and spurious boundary artifacts are mitigated by the use of the quasicontinuum method. Our analysis reveals several stages of pressure buildup separated by yield points. The first yield point corresponds to the formation of highly stable tetrahedral dislocation junctions around the surfaces of the void. The second yield point is caused by the dissolution of the tetrahedral structures and the emission of conventional 1/2 <110>{111} and anomalous 1/2<110>{001} dislocation loops.