Geometrically necessary dislocation density measurements at a grain boundary due to wedge indentation into an aluminum bicrystal

Abstract

An aluminum bicrystal with a symmetric tilt Σ43 (3 3 5)[1 1 0] coincident site lattice grain boundary was deformed plastically via wedge indentation under conditions that led to a plane strain deformation state. Plastic deformation is induced into both crystals and the initially straight grain boundary developed a significant curvature. The resulting lattice rotation field was measured via Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD). The Nye dislocation density tensor and the associated Geometrically Necessary Dislocation (GND) densities introduced by the plastic deformation were calculated. The grain boundary served as an impediment to plastic deformation as quantified through a smaller lattice rotation magnitude and smaller GND density magnitudes in one of the crystals. There is evidence that the lattice rotations in one grain brought a slip system in that grain into alignment with a slip system in the other grain, upon which the impediment to dislocation transmission across the grain boundary was reduced. This allowed the two slip systems to rotate together in tandem at later stages of the deformation. Finite element crystal plasticity simulations using classical constitutive hardening relationship capture the general features observed in the experiments.