Investigation of grain boundary activity in nanocrystalline Al under an indenter by using a multiscale method

Grain boundary activity in nanocrystalline Al under an indenter is studied by using a multiscale method. It is found that grain boundaries and twin boundaries can be transformed into each other by emitting and absorbing dislocations. The transition processes might result in grain coarsening and refinement events. Dislocation reflection generated by a piece of stable grain boundary is also observed, because of the complex local atomic structure within the nanocrystalline Al. This implies that nanocrystalline metals might improve their internal structural stability with the help of some special local grain boundaries.