A genetic algorithm for generating grain boundaries

作者:Restrepo Sebastian Echeverri*; Giraldo Simon Tamayo; Thijsse Barend J
来源:Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science and Engineering, 2013, 21(5): 055017.
DOI:10.1088/0965-0393/21/5/055017

摘要

Generation of realistic grain boundaries (GBs) in bicrystals for atomistic simulations requires a search in a multidimensional space for a configuration with the atoms at the GB organized in such a way that the energy of the whole system is minimized. This paper presents a genetic algorithm that allows one to find low-energy GB configurations by optimizing three main criteria: the local arrangement of the atoms, the relative translation between the two grains that compose the GB and an overall expansion/contraction of the system. It is designed to make a wider and more effective search through the energy landscape compared with other traditional methods, giving access to more configurations and increasing the possibility of finding the global minimum in energy.

  • 出版日期2013-7