Plastic heterogeneities of a copper multicrystal deformed in uniaxial tension: experimental study and finite element simulations

A copper sample made of a single layer of grains is plastically deformed by uniaxial tension at room temperature and low strain rate. The deformation field is measured by means of grids deposited on the polished surface of the undeformed specimen and local orientations are recorded using electron back scattering diagrams in a scanning electron microscope. These measures are compared with simulations made by a finite element code using a physically based model for the deformation and hardening of face centered cubic crystals. A good agreement is found between measured and computed values. The simulations give access to much more detail about the history of glide in each grain and help establish which systems are active at a local level. They also provide the evolution of internal variables such as dislocation densities. A new insight into intergranular accommodation as well as intragranular heterogeneities is provided.