Bauschinger Effect in an Austenitic Steel: Neutron Diffraction and a Multiscale Approach

International audienceThe generation of internal stresses/strains arising from mechanical deformations in single-phase engineering materials was studied. Neutron diffraction measurements were performed to study the evolution of intergranular strains in austenitic steel during sequential loadings. Intergranular strains expand due to incompatibilities between grains and also resulting from single-crystal elastic and plastic anisotropy. A two-level homogenization approach was adopted in order to predict the mechanical state of deformed polycrystals in relation to the microstructure during Bauschinger tests. A mechanical description of the grain was developed through a micro–meso transition based on the Kro¨nerKro¨ner model. The meso–macro transition using a self-consistent approach was applied to deduce the global behavior. Mechanical tests and neutron diffraction measurements were used to validate and assess the model