Constitutive modeling of strain induced grain boundary migration via coupling crystal plasticity and phase-field methods

We have developed a thermodynamically-consistent finite-deformation-based constitutive theory to describe strain induced grain boundary migration due to the heterogeneity of stored deformation energy in a plastically deformed polycrystalline cubic metal. Considering a representative volume element, a mesoscale continuum theory is developed based on the coupling between dislocation density-based crystal plasticity and phase field methods. Using the Taylor model-based homogenization method, a multiscale coupled finite-element and phase-field staggered time integration procedure is developed and implemented into the Abaqus/Standard finite element package via a user-defined material subroutine. The developed constitutive model is then used to perform numerical simulations of strain induced grain boundary migration in polycrystalline tantalum. The simulation results are shown to qualitatively and quantitatively agree with experimental results. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved