The mechanism of motion of an edge dislocation on a cubic plane of Ni3Al was studied in periodic simulation cells subjected to applied shear stress. The simulation results showed that the motion of the edge dislocation was controlled by the complex Lomer–Cottrell lock mechanism. Using this locking–unlocking mechanism, a perfect explanation was given of the very jerky motion of the edge dislocation, which had long been observed experimentally.

Molecular Dynamics Simulation of an Edge Dislocation Slipping on a Cubic Plane of Ni3Al. H.X.Xie, L.Bo, T.Yu: Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, 2011, 19[6], 065005