COMPLAS 2025

Continuum Modelling of Dislocation Microstructures Under Tribological Loading

  • Schulz, Katrin (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)
  • Lee, Sing-Huei (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)
  • Katzer, Balduin (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology)

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Plastic deformation is a critical factor in determining the mechanical response and microstructural evolution in tribological contacts. This study introduces an advanced dislocation-based crystal plasticity model that provides a framework for simulating both macro- and microscale behaviors under tribological contact mechanics. In addition to incorporating crystallographic effects and its influence on dislocation mobility, the model explicitly captures dislocation transport and accumulation beneath the surface, phenomena that significantly influence local plastic deformation and mechanical properties. These capabilities address limitations of previous continuum-scale simulations, which could not resolve such microstructural details. The resulting dislocation microstructure directly affects surface topography and contact area due to plastic deformation. By integrating an implicit coupling mechanism between macro- and microscale behavior and employing a stable numerical scheme based on the flux vector splitting method, the model ensures numerical robustness and accurate coupling effect between dislocation dynamics and tribological contact scenarios in comparison to experimental results.