Interaction mechanism of carbon clusters and dislocation through molecular dynamics simulation

When a steel undergoes a heat treatment, the maximum strength appears in the middle of transition of carbon-atom states from the solid solution to the precipitation states. Recently, the latest observation technic has revealed the carbon cluster state where the steel shows the maximum strength. However, the strengthening mechanism by the carbon cluster has not been fully understood yet. In this study, to investigate the interaction mechanism between dislocation and carbon clusters, we perform molecular dynamics simulations. We show the strongest carbon cluster's diameter, which well corresponds to the experimental value, and propose strengthening mechanisms for each carbon cluster with different diameters.