Dynamic electrical contacts may lose their conductivity due to wear or oscillation-induced defects (primarily dislocations). Nano-twinned Cu appeared to be a promising candidate for dynamic contacts. Molecular dynamics simulations were conducted to study defect generation in nano-twinned Cu during wear, in comparison with nano-grained Cu and single crystal Cu. Defect generation in the former was lower during bidirectional sliding wear. The Bauschinger effect was noticed during bidirectional sliding, demonstrated by a decrease in the density of residual defects.

Defect Generation in Nano-Twinned, Nano-Grained and Single Crystal Cu Systems Caused by Wear: a Molecular Dynamics Study. L.Yue, H.Zhang, D.Y.Li: Scripta Materialia, 2010, 63[11], 1116-9