Nanoindentation-induced amorphization in silicon carbide

The nanoindentation-induced amorphization in SiC is studied using molecular dynamics simulations. The load-displacement response shows an elastic shoulder followed by a plastic regime consisting of a series of load drops. Analyses of bond angles, local pressure, and shear stress, and shortest-path rings show that these drops are related to dislocation activities under the indenter. We show that amorphization is driven by coalescence of dislocation loops and that there is a strong correlation between load-displacement response and ring distribution. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.