Modeling and Characterization of Grain Boundaries and Slip Transmission in Dislocation Density-Based Crystal Plasticity

In this study, a dislocation density-based model is introduced to analyze slip transmission across grain boundaries in polycrystalline materials. The method applies a combination of the misorientation of neighboring grains and resolved shear stress on relative slip planes. This model is implemented into a continuum dislocation dynamics framework and extended to consider the physical interaction between mobile dislocations and grain boundaries. The model takes full account of the geometry of the grain boundary, the normal and direction of incoming and outgoing slip systems, and the extended stress field of the boundary and dislocation pileups at the boundary. The model predicts that slip transmission is easier across grain boundaries when the misorientation angle between the grains is small. The modeling results are verified with experimental nanoindentation results for polycrystalline copper samples.