Effect of Grain Orientation and Local Strains on Void Growth and Coalescence in Titanium

TL;DR

This study explores how grain orientation and local strains affect void growth and coalescence during ductile fracture in titanium, combining experimental observations with crystal plasticity simulations to understand anisotropic fracture behavior.

Contribution

It provides the first direct experimental quantification of grain orientation effects on void growth in titanium, supported by predictive crystal plasticity modeling.

Findings

Grain orientation significantly influences void growth rates.

Basal slip dominated grains exhibit the largest void growth.

Experimental results align with finite element crystal plasticity predictions.

Abstract

Ductile fracture has been extensively studied in metals with weak mechanical anisotropy such as copper and aluminum. The fracture of more anisotropic metals, especially those with a hexagonal crystal structure (e.g. titanium), remains far less understood. This paper investigates the ductile fracture process in commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) with particular emphasis on the influence of grain orientation and local state of strain on void growth. An experimental approach was developed to directly relate the growth of a void in three dimensions to its underlying grain orientation. Grain orientation was obtained by electron back scattered diffraction on void-containing CP-Ti sheets prior to their diffusion bonding. Changes in void dimensions were measured during in-situ straining within an x-ray tomography system. The strong influence of the embedded grain orientation and that of its neighbors on void growth rate and coalescence has been experimentally quantified. Finite element crystal plasticity simulations that take into account both grain orientation and the local strain state were found to predict the experimental void growth. Grains where basal slip dominates show the largest void growth rates because they are closer to a plane strain condition that favors void growth and coalescence.