Qualitative and quantitative properties of the dynamics of screw dislocations

This note collects some results on the behaviour of screw dislocation in an elastic medium. By using a semi-discrete model, we are able to investigate two specific aspects of the dynamics, namely (i) the interaction with free boundaries and collision events and (ii) the confinement inside the domain when a suitable Dirichlet-type boundary condition is imposed. In the first case, we analytically prove that free boundaries attract dislocations and we provide an expression for the Peach--Koehler force on a dislocation near the boundary. Moreover, we use this to prove an upper bound on the collision time of a dislocation with the boundary, provided certain geometric conditions are satisfied. An upper bound on the collision time for two dislocations with opposite Burgers vectors hitting each other is also obtained. In the second case, we turn to domains whose boundaries are subject to an external stress. In this situation, we prove that dislocations find it energetically favourable to stay confined inside the material instead of getting closer to the boundary. The result first proved for a single dislocation in the material is extended to a system of many dislocations, for which the analysis requires the careful treatments of the interaction terms.Comment: 12 pages, submitted for the Proceedings volume of the XXIII Conference AIMETA (The Italian Association of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics

Global minimizers for axisymmetric multiphase membranes

We consider a Canham-Helfrich-type variational problem defined over closed surfaces enclosing a fixed volume and having fixed surface area. The problem models the shape of multiphase biomembranes. It consists of minimizing the sum of the Canham-Helfrich energy, in which the bending rigidities and spontaneous curvatures are now phase-dependent, and a line tension penalization for the phase interfaces. By restricting attention to axisymmetric surfaces and phase distributions, we extend our previous results for a single phase (arXiv:1202.1979) and prove existence of a global minimizer.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figure

Properties of screw dislocation dynamics: time estimates on boundary and interior collisions

In this paper, the dynamics of a system of a finite number of screw dislocations is studied. Under the assumption of antiplane linear elasticity, the two-dimensional dynamics is determined by the renormalised energy. The interaction of one dislocation with the boundary and of two dislocations of opposite Burgers moduli are analysed in detail and estimates on the collision times are obtained. Some exactly solvable cases and numerical simulations show agreement with the estimates obtained.Comment: 25 pages, 4 figure

Renormalized Energy and Peach-K\"ohler Forces for Screw Dislocations with Antiplane Shear

We present a variational framework for studying screw dislocations subject to antiplane shear. Using a classical model developed by Cermelli and Gurtin, methods of Calculus of Variations are exploited to prove existence of solutions, and to derive a useful expression of the Peach-K\"ohler forces acting on a system of dislocation. This provides a setting for studying the dynamics of the dislocations, which is done in a forthcoming work.Comment: 22 page

Dynamics of screw dislocations: a generalised minimising-movements scheme approach

The gradient flow structure of the model introduced in [CG99] for the dynamics of screw dislocations is investigated by means of a generalised minimising-movements scheme approach. The assumption of a finite number of available glide directions, together with the "maximal dissipation criterion" that governs the equations of motion, results into solving a differential inclusion rather than an ODE. This paper addresses how the model in [CG99] is connected to a time-discrete evolution scheme which explicitly confines dislocations to move each time step along a single glide direction. It is proved that the time-continuous model in [CG99] is the limit of these time-discrete minimising-movement schemes when the time step converges to 0. The study presented here is a first step towards a generalisation of the setting in [AGS08, Chap. 2 and 3] that allows for dissipations which cannot be described by a metric.Comment: 17 pages, 2 figures http://cvgmt.sns.it/paper/2781

Dynamics for Systems of Screw Dislocations

The goal of this paper is the analytical validation of a model of Cermelli and Gurtin for an evolution law for systems of screw dislocations under the assumption of antiplane shear. The motion of the dislocations is restricted to a discrete set of glide directions, which are properties of the material. The evolution law is given by a "maximal dissipation criterion", leading to a system of differential inclusions. Short time existence, uniqueness, cross-slip, and fine cross-slip of solutions are proved.Comment: 35 pages, 5 figure

Explicit Formulas for Relaxed Disarrangement Densities Arising from Structured Deformations

Structured deformations provide a multiscale geometry that captures the contributions at the macrolevel of both smooth geometrical changes and non-smooth geometrical changes (disarrangements) at submacroscopic levels. For each (first-order) structured deformation $(g,G)$ of a continuous body, the tensor field $G$ is known to be a measure of deformations without disarrangements, and $M:=\nabla g-G$ is known to be a measure of deformations due to disarrangements. The tensor fields $G$ and $M$ together deliver not only standard notions of plastic deformation, but $M$ and its curl deliver the Burgers vector field associated with closed curves in the body and the dislocation density field used in describing geometrical changes in bodies with defects. Recently, Owen and Paroni [13] evaluated explicitly some relaxed energy densities arising in Choksi and Fonseca's energetics of structured deformations [4] and thereby showed: (1) $(trM)^{+}$, the positive part of $trM$, is a volume density of disarrangements due to submacroscopic separations, (2) $(trM)^{-}$, the negative part of $trM$, is a volume density of disarrangements due to submacroscopic switches and interpenetrations, and (3) $|trM|$, the absolute value of $trM$, is a volume density of all three of these non-tangential disarrangements: separations, switches, and interpenetrations. The main contribution of the present research is to show that a different approach to the energetics of structured deformations, that due to Ba\'ia, Matias, and Santos [1], confirms the roles of $(trM)^{+}$, $(trM)^{-}$, and $|trM|$ established by Owen and Paroni. In doing so, we give an alternative, shorter proof of Owen and Paroni's results, and we establish additional explicit formulas for other measures of disarrangements.Comment: 17 pages; http://cvgmt.sns.it/paper/2776