On the interaction between an edge dislocation and a coherent precipitate in anisotropic materials

A numerical method is presented to investigate the interaction between an edge dislocation and a misfitting precipitate in an anisotropic material. The technique is based on the concept of configurational (material) forces in linear elasticity. After briefly discussing the theory of configurational forces, a generalized balance equation is obtained to calculate the material forces on the defects under consideration. Utilizing a semi-analytical method via a finite element formulation, the generalized balance equation is solved and results are presented for the diffusion process and the dislocation movement in a cubic material. Furthermore, the microstructural change of the inclusion morphology associated with this interaction is discussed. To simplify matters, we consider a purely dilatational misfit of the inclusion and no far field stresses are taken into account.