A deformation theory of strain gradient crystal plasticity that accounts for geometrically necessary dislocations

We propose a deformation theory of strain gradient crystal plasticity that accounts for the density of geometrically necessary dislocations by including, as an independent kinematic variable, Nye's dislocation density tensor [1953. Acta Metallurgica 1, 153-162]. This is accomplished in the same fashion as proposed by Gurtin and co-workers (see, for instance, Gurtin and Needleman [2005. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 53, 1-31]) in the context of a flow theory of crystal plasticity, by introducing the so-called defect energy. Moreover, in order to better describe the strengthening accompanied by diminishing size, we propose that the classical part of the plastic potential may be dependent on both the plastic slip vector and its gradient; for single crystals, this also makes it easier to deal with the “higher-order” boundary conditions. We develop both the kinematic formulation and its static dual and apply the theory to the simple shear of a constrained strip (example already exploited in Shu et al. [2001. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 49, 1361-1395], Bittencourt et al. [2003. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 51, 281-310], Niordson and Hutchinson [2003. Euro J. Mech. Phys. Solids 22, 771-778], Evers et al. [2004. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 52, 2379-2401], and Anand et al. [2005. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 53, 1789-1826]) to investigate what sort of behaviour the new model predicts. The availability of the total potential energy functional and its static dual allows us to easily solve this simple boundary value problem by resorting to the Ritz method.     

A finite deformation theory of higher-order gradient crystal plasticity

For higher-order gradient crystal plasticity, a finite deformation formulation is presented. The theory does not deviate much from the conventional crystal plasticity theory. Only a back stress effect and additional differential equations for evolution of the geometrically necessary dislocation (GND) densities supplement the conventional theory within a non-work-conjugate framework in which there is no need to introduce higher-order microscopic stresses that would be work-conjugate to slip rate gradients. We discuss its connection to a work-conjugate type of finite deformation gradient crystal plasticity that is based on an assumption of the existence of higher-order stresses. Furthermore, a boundary-value problem for simple shear of a constrained thin strip is studied numerically, and some characteristic features of finite deformation are demonstrated through a comparison to a solution for the small deformation theory. As in a previous formulation for small deformation, the present formulation applies to the context of multiple and three-dimensional slip deformations.     

Strain gradient crystal plasticity analysis of a single crystal containing a cylindrical void

The effects of void size and hardening in a hexagonal close-packed single crystal containing a cylindrical void loaded by a far-field equibiaxial tensile stress under plane strain conditions are studied. The crystal has three in-plane slip systems oriented at the angle 60° with respect to one another. Finite element simulations are performed using a strain gradient crystal plasticity formulation with an intrinsic length scale parameter in a non-local strain gradient constitutive framework. For a vanishing length scale parameter the non-local formulation reduces to a local crystal plasticity formulation. The stress and deformation fields obtained with a local non-hardening constitutive formulation are compared to those obtained from a local hardening formulation and to those from a non-local formulation. Compared to the case of the non-hardening local constitutive formulation, it is shown that a local theory with hardening has only minor effects on the deformation field around the void, whereas a significant difference is obtained with the non-local constitutive relation. Finally, it is shown that the applied stress state required to activate plastic deformation at the void is up to three times higher for smaller void sizes than for larger void sizes in the non-local material.     

Modeling of ductile fragmentation that includes void interactions

The failure and fragmentation of ductile materials through the nucleation, growth, and coalescence of voids is important to the understanding of key structural materials. In this model of development effort, ductile fragmentation of an elastic–viscoplastic material is studied through a computational approach which couples these key stages of ductile failure with nucleation site distributions and wave propagation, and predicts fragment spacing within a uniaxial strain approximation. This powerful tool is used to investigate the mechanical and thermal response of OFHC copper at a strain rate of 10⁵. Once the response of the material is understood, the fragmentation of this test material is considered. The average fragment size as well as the fragment size distribution is formulated.     

A homogenization theory of strain gradient single crystal plasticity and its finite element discretization

In this study, a homogenization theory based on the Gurtin strain gradient formulation and its finite element discretization are developed for investigating the size effects on macroscopic responses of periodic materials. To derive the homogenization equations consisting of the relation of macroscopic stress, the weak form of stress balance, and the weak form of microforce balance, the Y-periodicity is used as additional, as well as standard, boundary conditions at the boundary of a unit cell. Then, by applying a tangent modulus method, a set of finite element equations is obtained from the homogenization equations. The computational stability and efficiency of this finite element discretization are verified by analyzing a model composite. Furthermore, a model polycrystal is analyzed for investigating the grain size dependence of polycrystal plasticity. In this analysis, the micro-clamped, micro-free, and defect-free conditions are considered as the additional boundary conditions at grain boundaries, and their effects are discussed.     

Elasto-plastic analysis of an internally pressurized thick-walled cylinder using a strain gradient plasticity theory

An analytical solution for the stress, strain and displacement fields in an internally pressurized thick-walled cylinder of an elastic strain-hardening plastic material in the plane strain state is presented. A strain gradient plasticity theory is used to describe the constitutive behavior of the material undergoing plastic deformations, whereas the generalized Hooke’s law is invoked to represent the material response in the elastic region. The solution gives explicit expressions for the stress, strain and displacement components. The inner radius of the cylinder enters these expressions not only in non-dimensional forms but also with its own dimensional identity, unlike classical plasticity-based solutions. As a result, the current solution can capture the size (strengthening) effect at the micron scale. The classical plasticity-based solution of the same problem is shown to be a special case of the present solution. Numerical results for the maximum effective stress in the cylinder wall are also provided to illustrate applications of the newly derived solution.     

A physically based gradient plasticity theory

The intent of this work is to derive a physically motivated mathematical form for the gradient plasticity that can be used to interpret the size effects observed experimentally. The step of translating from the dislocation-based mechanics to a continuum formulation is explored. This paper addresses a possible, yet simple, link between the Taylor’s model of dislocation hardening and the strain gradient plasticity. Evolution equations for the densities of statistically stored dislocations and geometrically necessary dislocations are used to establish this linkage. The dislocation processes of generation, motion, immobilization, recovery, and annihilation are considered in which the geometric obstacles contribute to the storage of statistical dislocations. As a result, a physically sound relation for the material length scale parameter is obtained as a function of the course of plastic deformation, grain size, and a set of macroscopic and microscopic physical parameters. Comparisons are made of this theory with experiments on micro-torsion, micro-bending, and micro-indentation size effects.     

Post-necking behaviour modelled by a gradient dependent plasticity theory

The delay of the onset of localization and the post-necking behaviour for stretched thin sheets are determined by three-dimensional effects. Thus, a 2-D finite element analysis based on a local plasticity theory will give a physically unrealistic mesh dependent solution. This, in spite of the fact that the stress state, is essentially two-dimensional. By incorporating a length scale with relation to the thickness of the sheet, it is demonstrated how a 2-D finite element analysis based on a gradient dependent plasticity theory can give a good approximation of the post-necking behaviour. This is illustrated by numerical comparison of results from a full 3-D finite element analysis, with results from a 2-D finite element model based on a finite strain version of a gradient dependent J₂-flow theory. Some numerical problems in the modeling will be discussed briefly.     

Strain gradient crystal plasticity effects on flow localization

In metal grains one of the most important failure mechanisms involves shear band localization. As the band width is small, the deformations are affected by material length scales. To study localization in single grains a rate-dependent crystal plasticity formulation for finite strains is presented for metals described by the reformulated Fleck–Hutchinson strain gradient plasticity theory. The theory is implemented numerically within a finite element framework using slip rate increments and displacement increments as state variables. The formulation reduces to the classical crystal plasticity theory in the absence of strain gradients. The model is used to study the effect of an internal material length scale on the localization of plastic flow in shear bands in a single crystal under plane strain tension. It is shown that the mesh sensitivity is removed when using the nonlocal material model considered. Furthermore, it is illustrated how different hardening functions affect the formation of shear bands.     

Inspection of free energy functions in gradient crystal plasticity

The dislocation density tensor computed as the cud of plastic distortion is regarded as a new constitutive variable in crystal plasticity. The dependence of the free energy function on the dislocation density tensor is explored starting from a quadratic ansatz. Rank one and logarithmic dependencies are then envisaged based on considerations from the statistical theory of dislocations. The rele- vance of the presented free energy potentials is evaluated from the corresponding analytical solutions of the periodic two-phase laminate problem under shear where one layer is a single crystal material undergoing single slip and the second one remains purely elastic.     

A conventional theory of mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity

There exist two frameworks of strain gradient plasticity theories to model size effects observed at the micron and sub-micron scales in experiments. The first framework involves the higher-order stress and therefore requires extra boundary conditions, such as the theory of mechanism-based strain gradient (MSG) plasticity [J Mech Phys Solids 47 (1999) 1239; J Mech Phys Solids 48 (2000) 99; J Mater Res 15 (2000) 1786] established from the Taylor dislocation model. The other framework does not involve the higher-order stress, and the strain gradient effect come into play via the incremental plastic moduli. A conventional theory of mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity is established in this paper. It is also based on the Taylor dislocation model, but it does not involve the higher-order stress and therefore falls into the second strain gradient plasticity framework that preserves the structure of conventional plasticity theories. The plastic strain gradient appears only in the constitutive model, and the equilibrium equations and boundary conditions are the same as the conventional continuum theories. It is shown that the difference between this theory and the higher-order MSG plasticity theory based on the same dislocation model is only significant within a thin boundary layer of the solid.     

A finite deformation theory of strain gradient plasticity

Plastic deformation exhibits strong size dependence at the micron scale, as observed in micro-torsion, bending, and indentation experiments. Classical plasticity theories, which possess no internal material lengths, cannot explain this size dependence. Based on dislocation mechanics, strain gradient plasticity theories have been developed for micron-scale applications. These theories, however, have been limited to infinitesimal deformation, even though the micro-scale experiments involve rather large strains and rotations. In this paper, we propose a finite deformation theory of strain gradient plasticity. The kinematics relations (including strain gradients), equilibrium equations, and constitutive laws are expressed in the reference configuration. The finite deformation strain gradient theory is used to model micro-indentation with results agreeing very well with the experimental data. We show that the finite deformation effect is not very significant for modeling micro-indentation experiments.     

A finite deformation second gradient theory of plasticity

Extending the previous work by Chambon et al. [2] to the finite deformation regime, a local second gradient theory of plasticity for isotropic materials with microstructure is developed based on the multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient, the additive decomposition of the second deformation gradient and the principle of maximum dissipation.     

Grain boundary interface mechanics in strain gradient crystal plasticity

Interactions between dislocations and grain boundaries play an important role in the plastic deformation of polycrystalline metals. Capturing accurately the behaviour of these internal interfaces is particularly important for applications where the relative grain boundary fraction is significant, such as ultra fine-grained metals, thin films and micro-devices. Incorporating these micro-scale interactions (which are sensitive to a number of dislocation, interface and crystallographic parameters) within a macro-scale crystal plasticity model poses a challenge. The innovative features in the present paper include (i) the formulation of a thermodynamically consistent grain boundary interface model within a microstructurally motivated strain gradient crystal plasticity framework, (ii) the presence of intra-grain slip system coupling through a microstructurally derived internal stress, (iii) the incorporation of inter-grain slip system coupling via an interface energy accounting for both the magnitude and direction of contributions to the residual defect from all slip systems in the two neighbouring grains, and (iv) the numerical implementation of the grain boundary model to directly investigate the influence of the interface constitutive parameters on plastic deformation. The model problem of a bicrystal deforming in plane strain is analysed. The influence of dissipative and energetic interface hardening, grain misorientation, asymmetry in the grain orientations and the grain size are systematically investigated. In each case, the crystal response is compared with reference calculations with grain boundaries that are either ‘microhard’ (impenetrable to dislocations) or ‘microfree’ (an infinite dislocation sink).     

A gradient theory of small-deformation, single-crystal plasticity that accounts for GND-induced interactions between slip systems

This paper develops a gradient theory of single-crystal plasticity based on a system of microscopic force balances, one balance for each slip system, derived from the principle of virtual power, and a mechanical version of the second law that includes, via the microscopic forces, work performed during plastic flow. When combined with thermodynamically consistent constitutive relations the microscopic force balances become nonlocal flow rules for the individual slip systems in the form of partial differential equations requiring boundary conditions. Central ingredients in the theory are densities of (geometrically necessary) edge and screw dislocations, densities that describe the accumulation of dislocations, and densities that characterize forest hardening. The form of the forest densities is based on an explicit kinematical expression for the normal Burgers vector on a slip plane.