Influence of Temperature and Stress on Near-Surface Cascades in Alpha-Zirconium Revealed by Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Molecular dynamics simulations are used to study cascades near the surface in hcp Zr. The influences of several factors, namely the primary knock-on atom (PKA) in different layers, angle of incidence, temperature and stress, on the number and type of defects are considered. Compared to bulk cascades, near-surface cascades show different characteristics in defect type and quantity when the PKA is in different layers. Low angle incidences create surface sputtering while the effects of high angle incidences are similar to those of bulk cascades. The effect of temperature is mainly focused on the number of sputtered atoms, with little influence on the total number of surviving defects. Stress helps to create more defects and the influence of compressive stress is more prominent than tensile stress.