A self-consistent anisotropic approach for the simulation of plastic deformation and texture development of polycrystals : application to zirconium alloys

TLDR: In this paper, a visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) anisotropic approach for modeling the plastic deformation of polycrystals, together with a thorough discussion of the assumptions involved and the range of application of such approach is presented.

Abstract: We present in this work a visco-plastic self-consistent (VPSC) anisotropic approach for modeling the plastic deformation of polycrystals, together with a thorough discussion of the assumptions involved and the range of application of such approach. We use the VPSC model for predicting texture development during rolling and axisymmetric deformation of Zirconium alloys, and to calculate the yield locus and the Lankford coefficient of rolled Zircaloy sheet. We compare our results with experimental data and find that they are in good agreement with the available experimental evidence. We also compare the VPSC predictions with the ones of a Full Constraints approach and observe that they differ both quantitatively and qualitatively: according with the predictions of the VPSC scheme, deformation is accommodated mostly by the soft systems, the twinning activity is much lower, and fewer systems are active, in average, per grain. These results are a consequence of having accounted for the grain interaction with its surroundings, which is a crucial aspect when modeling plastically anisotropic materials.