Large-scale atomistic simulations, using non-equilibrium molecular dynamics, revealed that shock-wave loading and high-speed friction between dry metal interfaces exhibited surprising similarities, in that plastic deformation occurred via the violent generation of dislocations. Shock-wave deformation was initiated at the shock front whereas, in sliding friction, the interface produced dislocations that moved firstly within the plane and then out of it so as to generate a microstructure that accommodated the slippage. For both shock and friction in perfect, or nearly perfect, crystals there was a threshold driving force that had to be overcome in order to induce plastic flow. Below this threshold, pre-existing extended defects were able to trigger a plastic microstructure that resembled those observed above the threshold.

The Birth of Dislocations in Shock Waves and High-Speed Friction. B.L.Holian, J.E.Hammerberg, P.S.Lomdahl: Journal of Computer-Aided Material Design, 1998, 5[2-3], 207-24