WOLFRAM|DEMONSTRATIONS PROJECT

Anisotropic Elasticity for HCP Crystal Structures

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select an element from the list:
Be
anisotropy factor for the elastic modulus of beryllium = 1.203.
The elastic behavior of a hexagonal close-packed (HCP) single crystal for a metal is anisotropic, meaning that the stiffness of the material depends on the direction of loading. This Demonstration illustrates the elastic anisotropy of 24 HCP metals when undergoing uniaxial stress, as shown in the 3D plot (left). This shows the variation of the elastic modulus
E
(in GPa) as a function of direction. For reference, the
z
axis of the plot is parallel to the
c
axis of the HCP unit cell, and the
x
axis is parallel to the
a
1
direction of the HCP unit cell. The 2D plot (right) shows the elastic modulus on the
z=0
plane. The anisotropy factor is determined by
S
11
S
33
, where
S
11
and
S
33
are compliance constants of the selected material.