Influence of crack tip constraint on void growth in ductile FCC single crystals

▶ This work shows the effect of constraint level on the void growth in the fracture process zone near a crack tip within crystal plasticity framework. To date there is no published literature which addresses this aspect of single crystal fracture. This gains special importance since the constraint level (or equivalently the T stress) can vary significantly based on the sample geometry (from positive to very negative), and (as shown in this work) it can drastically alter the void growth characteristics. It is found that negative T-stress retards the void growth. However, the extent of retardation depends on the crystal orientation. Further, it is found that there exists a particular orientation which delays the ductile fracture processes and hence can potentially improve ductility. This optimal orientation appears to be reasonably insensitive to the constraint level.