Mechanical behavior of cavity and dislocation evolution induced by interfacial debonding of Cu/SiC composites

Investigation of the dislocation and structural evolution associated with the study of the deformation behavior of composites is extremely vital among the scientific community. This study examines the mechanical behavior of idealized Cu/SiC composites using molecular dynamics simulations. The mechanical properties were tested by stretching the composites at different SiC particle radii and strain rates to examine the evolution of microstructure and dislocations during tensile fracture, the interfacial debonding between Cu and SiC, and the growth of nucleated voids. Our results demonstrate that an increase in strain rate elevates the yield strength of the composites but does not affect the Young’s modulus of the material. At high strain rates, the structural transformation of the material is more drastic. An increase in SiC particle radius leads to a decrease in overall mechanical properties, a decrease in the number and length of dislocations, and the formation of a dislocation loop resulting from dislocation interactions in the dislocation network. This study reported that interfacial debonding between Cu and SiC and dislocation networks promotes the growth of nucleated voids, with small SiC radii composites being more prone to deformation and fracture. These results provide a reference for understanding the mechanical behavior, dislocation studies, and interfacial debonding in Cu/SiC composites.