Three newly identified cross-slip mechanisms from atomistic simulations of fcc crystals,
namely surface, bulk and intersection cross-slip types, were hierarchically informed into
discrete dislocation dynamics simulations. The influence of each cross-slip type on the
evolution of the dislocation microstructure in face-centered cubic microcrystals having
different crystal sizes and initial dislocation densities was investigated. Dislocation pattern
formation, surface slip localization and initial strain hardening were observed, in agreement …

Strain hardening in crystals and the accompanying dislocation pattern evolution (in the form
of cell-like structures) are among the most difficult self-organizing behaviors to predict and
explain. Screw character dislocation cross-slip has been typically presumed to play the main
role in dislocation cell structure formation. However, many open questions remain regarding
this mechanism. Recent molecular dynamics simulations showed that two cross-slip
mechanisms, namely, surface and intersection mediated cross-slip mechanisms, exhibit a …