

Preprint 23/2004
Interaction between free boundaries and domain walls in ferroelastics
Sergio Conti and Ulrich Weikard
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Submission date: 26. Apr. 2004
Pages: 20
published in: The European physical journal / B, 41 (2004) 3, p. 413-420
DOI number (of the published article): 10.1140/epjb/e2004-00333-4
Bibtex
PACS-Numbers: 68.35.Gy, 61.72.Mm, 62.20.Dc
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Abstract:
We study the relaxation of ferroelastic domain walls in the
vicinity of a free surface, by means of a nonlinear continuum elastic model
treated with finite elements on an adaptive grid. Domain walls
bend towards the free surface, as a consequence of
the interplay of the energy per unit length of the domain wall and the
long-range elastic strains which are generated by deviations from the
prescribed compatible orientation. We also analyze the order
parameter on the free
surface. For walls orthogonal to the free surface we
find, in accordance with previous studies, a double-peak
structure. For different angles the picture is more complex, and in
some cases only one small peak survives.