Strengthening from dislocation restructuring and local climb at platelet linear complexions in Al-Cu alloys

Stress-driven segregation at dislocations can lead to structural transitions between different linear complexion states. In this work, we examine how platelet array linear complexions affect dislocation motion and quantify the associated strengthening effect in Al-Cu alloys using atomistic simulations. The presence of platelet complexions leads to the faceting of the dislocations, with nanoscale segments climbing upwards along the platelet growth direction, resulting in a complex configuration that restricts subsequent dislocation motion. Upon deformation, the leading partial dislocation must climb down from the platelet complexions first, followed by a similar sequence at the trailing partial dislocation, in order to overcome the precipitates and commence plastic slip. The dislocation depinning mechanism of linear complexions is strikingly different from traditional precipitation-strengthened alloys, where dislocations overcome obstacles by either shearing through or looping around obstacles. The critical shear stress required to unpin dislocations from platelet complexions is found to be inversely proportional to precipitate spacing, which includes not just the open space (as observed in Orowan bowing) but also the region along the platelet particle where climb occurs. Thus, linear complexions provide a new way to modify dislocation structure directly and improve the mechanical properties of metal alloys.