Analytic formulation of elastic field around edge dislocation adjacent to slanted free surface

Explicit and tractable formulation of the internal stress field around edge dislocations is indispensable for considering the mechanics of fine crystalline solids, because the motion of edge dislocations in a slanted direction with respect to the free surface often plays a vital role in the plastic deformation of the solids under loading. In this study, we formulated an analytical solution for the stress distribution that occurs around edge dislocations embedded in a semi-infinite elastic medium. This formulation is based on the image force method and the Airy stress function method; it describes the variation in the stress distribution with changes in the slanted angle between the traction-free flat surface of the medium and the Burgers vector of the edge dislocation. Furthermore, our analytical solution shows that the attractive force acting on the edge dislocation due to the presence of the free surface is always perpendicular to the surface, regardless of the relative angle of the Burgers vector with the surface.

Automated summary

Explicit and tractable formulation of the internal stress field around edge dislocations is essential in understanding the mechanics of fine crystalline solids. This study presents an analytical solution for the stress distribution around edge dislocations in a semi-infinite elastic medium, using the image force method and the Airy stress function method. The solution shows that the attractive force acting on the edge dislocation due to the presence of the free surface is always perpendicular to the surface.