Atomistic investigation of deformation behavior of lamellar pearlite with inclined orientation

•The deformation behavior of lamellar pearlite with an inclined orientation is investigated using molecular dynamics simulations.•The dislocation motion parallel to the cementite lamellae and the deformation-induced bending of the cementite lamellae are observed in inclined colony 2, which is in good agreement with the reported experimental results.•For the plastic deformation of lamellar pearlite, the {110}〈111〉 slip system is observed at the cross-slip, while the {112}〈111〉 slip system is embodied at a broader scale.•This work is a step forward in the study of atomic-level deformation and damage in lamellar pearlites with inclined orientations. In this work, a novel model of pearlite colony with inclined orientation is proposed for understanding the deformation behavior of heterogeneous lamellar structures. The simulation results reproduce the experimentally observed dislocation motion parallel to the cementite lamellae and the deformation-induced bending of the cementite lamellae (in colony 2). In the ferrite near the interface, colony 2 has a BCC → HCP → FCC phase transformation path so that it can adapt to the interface mismatch caused by misfit strains as well as the slip deformation after yielding. For the plastic deformation of lamellar pearlite, the {110}〈111〉 slip system is observed at the cross-slip, while the {112}〈111〉 slip system is embodied at a broader scale. In particular, this work is a step forward in the study of atomic-level deformation and damage in lamellar pearlites with inclined orientations. [Display omitted]