3D simulation of a nanoindentation test at a mesoscopic scale

A 3D simulation of the dynamics and interactions of dislocations in FCC metals has been developed in the last few years. This simulation is based on discretization of both time and space at a mesoscopic scale. The model has been validated on results coming from the dislocation theory in the case of the bulk crystal behaviour. In order to compare the simulation to experimental results, we choose to apply full complex boundary conditions to the simulated volume. Following that goal, the 3D dislocation simulation has been linked to a finite element code CASTEM2000. The heterogenous stress held is computed on every segment through a finite element resolution. Through this method, we present first results of a nano-indentation simulation. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science S.A.