Computer simulation of energy dissipation from near threshold knock-ons in Fe3Al

A computer program has been developed and used to model a series of knock-ons near the damage energy threshold in a micro-crystallite of the ordered alloy Fe3Al. The primary paths of energy removal from the knock-on site were found to be along the [100] and [111] directions by means of focusing type collision chains. The relative importance of either direction as an energy removal path varied with the initial knock-on direction and also changed with time during the course of the knock-on event. The time rate of energy removal was found to be greatest in the [111] direction due to the shorter interatomic distances between atoms along this direction