Deformation mechanisms of zirconium alloys under biaxial tension at room temperature

Abstract

Even though the plastic deformation behavior of zirconium alloy under uniaxial loading has been well understood, the plastic deformation mechanisms under biaxial stress state are rarely reported. In this study, the stress-strain responses of zirconium alloy plate after uniaxial tension and various biaxial tension paths are investigated. The texture and grain boundary misorientation are analyzed to clarify the plastic deformation mechanism at different biaxial stress states. It is found that while prismatic slip is the dominant plastic deformation mechanism under uniaxial loading condition, the plastic strain under biaxial loading is accommodated predominantly by tensile twinning and supplemented by slip.