Multi-scale modeling and experimental study of twin inception and propagation in hexagonal close-packed materials using a crystal plasticity finite element approach; part II: Local behavior

In-situ tensile tests are performed on Zircaloy-2 samples with various grain sizes to study twin inception and propagation. Orientation maps of some areas at the surface are measured before and after deformation, using the Electron BackScattered Diffraction (EBSD) technique. Strain fields of the same areas are determined using the digital image correlation technique and are compared with results from Crystal Plasticity Finite Element (CPFE) simulations. Different assumptions are made within the CPFE code to simulate twin propagation. It is observed that the predictions of different models does not really change from one model to another when statistical information on the twins is compared, yet local predictions for each grain, i.e. twin direction, twin variant selection, and twin inception site, do change. Also, it is shown that the twin Schmid factor can vary drastically within grains and that for those grains with a low tendency for twinning this variation may make them susceptible to twinning.