The interaction of a gliding screw dislocation with stacking-fault tetrahedra in face-centred cubic Cu was studied by using molecular dynamics simulations. Upon intersection, the screw dislocation spontaneously cross-slipped on the stacking-fault tetrahedron face. One of the cross-slipped Shockley partials glided towards the stacking-fault tetrahedron base; partially absorbing the stacking-fault tetrahedron. At low applied stresses, partial absorption produced a super-jog, with detachment of the trailing Shockley partial via an Orowan process. This left a small perfect stacking-fault tetrahedron and a truncated base behind, which subsequently formed a sheared stacking-fault tetrahedron with a pair of ledges of opposite senses. At higher applied shear stresses, the ledges could self-heal by gliding towards a stacking-fault tetrahedron apex and transforming the sheared stacking-fault tetrahedron into a perfect stacking-fault tetrahedron. However, complete absorption or collapse of a stacking-fault tetrahedron (or sheared stacking-fault tetrahedron) by a moving screw dislocation was not observed.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Screw Dislocation Interaction with Stacking Fault Tetrahedron in Face-Centered Cubic Cu. H.J.Lee, J.H.Shim, B.D.Wirth: Journal of Materials Research, 2007, 22[10], 2758-69