An investigation of rapid surface melting in nanowires

The investigation into virtual melting phenomena in nanowires holds significant relevance owing to its profound impact on material durability under extreme loading conditions. Thus, the exploration of this pivotal plastic deformation mechanism is undertaken utilizing the phase-field methodology. Employing a monolithic solver, we solve the coupled highly nonlinear time-dependent Ginzburg–Landau equation and dynamic elasticity equation. Our analysis encompasses the consideration of surface tension stress in conjunction with a coherent solid–liquid interface subjected to uniaxial transformation strain, thereby unveiling intriguing facets of melting phenomena. The investigation delves into the influence of transformation strain, kinetic coefficient, and temperature on the thickness of the solid–liquid interface and its corresponding velocity. This analysis is conducted through meticulous comparison with existing experimental data and molecular dynamics simulation. Moreover, employing the phase-field method yields precise descriptions of the system kinetics, capturing virtual melting phenomena in both pristine and flawed nanowire configurations. • Explores virtual melting in aluminum (Al) nanowires under high-pressure deviatoric stresses. • Dyhamic phase-field modeling of rapid thermomechanical melting to predict extremely large driving forces. • Developed an extensible monolithically-solved open-source finite element solver for melting under shock loading.