# Microstructure and stress mapping in 3D at industrially relevant degrees of plastic deformation

## TL;DR

This paper uses X-ray imaging to map 3D microstructure and stress in aluminum under high deformation, revealing insights into material failure.

## Contribution

Provides first 3D experimental data on stress variations in aluminum at industrially relevant deformation levels.

## Key findings

- Intra-grain stress variations reach up to 36 MPa, significant compared to inter-grain variations of 76 MPa.
- Grain orientation dominates inter-grain stress differences.
- Local stress concentrations may initiate damage in materials.

## Abstract

Strength, ductility, and failure properties of metals are tailored by plastic deformation routes. Predicting these properties requires modeling of the structural dynamics and stress evolution taking place on several length scales. Progress has been hampered by a lack of representative 3D experimental data at industrially relevant degrees of deformation. We present an X-ray imaging based 3D mapping of an aluminum polycrystal deformed to the ultimate tensile strength (32% elongation). The extensive dataset reveals significant intra-grain stress variations (36 MPa) up to at least half of the inter-grain variations (76 MPa), which are dominated by grain orientation effects. Local intra-grain stress concentrations are candidates for damage nucleation. Such data are important for models of structure-property relations and damage.