Luque Gomez, AitorAldazabal, J.Martinez-Esnaola, J. M.Sevillano, J. Gil2014-11-192014-11-192014-11-19200610.1111/j.1460-2695.2006.01037.xhttps://infoscience.epfl.ch/handle/20.500.14299/108980Virtual tensile experiments on cylindrical copper wires of nanometric diameter were carried out using molecular dynamics techniques based on the embedded-atom method. Transverse, atomically sharp surface cracks with circular fronts of different depths are introduced to evaluate their effect on the mechanical strength of the nanowires. The axisymmetric z-axis of the specimen is on the 001 direction of the nanowires. The analysis shows that, at 0 K, the cracked Cu nanowires behave in a ductile manner, their strength being determined by dislocation or twinning nucleation from the crack tip. Their calculated fracture toughness ranges from 0.6 to 3 MPa√m.text::journal::journal article::research article