The capability of damping mechanical energy in polycrystalline metals depends on the activities of defects such as dislocation and grain boundary (GB). However, operating defects has the opposite effect on strength and damping capacity. In the quest for high damping metals, maintaining the level of strength is desirable in practice. In this work, gradient nanograined structure is considered as a candidate for high-damping metals. The atomistic simulations show that the gradient nanograined models exhibit enhanced damping capacities compared with the homogeneous counterparts. The property can be attributed to the long-range order of GB orientations in gradient grains, where shear stresses facilitate GB sliding. Combined with the extraordinary mechanical properties, the gradient structure achieves a strength-ductility-damping synergy. The results provide promising solutions to the conflicts between mechanical properties and damping capacity in polycrystalline metals.
Keywords: Damping capacity; dislocation; gradient nanograins; grain boundary; molecular dynamics.