Self-consistent scale transition with imperfect interfaces: Application to nanocrystalline materials

A hierarchal scale transition technique is introduced to model the effect of imperfect interfaces on the elastoviscoplastic response of composite materials. This novel framework is based on a two-step procedure. In the first step, an inclusion is embedded in a matrix phase and the interface between the two phases is imperfect. The embedded inclusion is homogenized via the use of a Mori–Tanaka scheme. In a second step the homogenized inclusion is introduced in a matrix phase representing the homogeneous equivalent material, and the macroscopic response of the material is obtained via the self-consistent approximation. The model is applied to the case of pure nanocrystalline copper and allows the activity of grain boundary sliding to be quantified.