Structural transition of sheared-liquid metal in quenching state

In this Letter, the effects of shear rate on structural properties of liquid Al in quenching process were investigated via molecular dynamics (MD) simulations based on the EAM potential. Analyses in internal energy and pair correlation functions (PCF) reveal an increasing structural transition temperature as the shear rate is enhanced in the liquid. Results of pair analysis indicate that for liquid Al under normal condition, face center cubic (FCC) structure is clearly detected upon cooling; while in sheared liquid, structural transition from FCC to body center cubic (BCC) at temperature of 800 K is manifested, leading to the dominance of BCC structural order at low temperatures. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.