The impact of microstructure on the relationship between grain boundary sliding and slip transmission in high purity aluminum

Abstract The relationship between grain boundary sliding (GBS) and slip transmission is investigated experimentally at grain boundaries in 99.99% aluminum with a through-thickness, coarse-grained microstructure deformed in tension at 190 °C. Using scanning electron microscope-enabled digital image correlation (SEM-DIC) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD), high-resolution strain fields and microstructural information were measured to examine the influence of microstructural neighborhoods on interactions between GBS and slip transmission and strain localization. Several distinct cases are presented that highlight important microstructural factors that govern deformation near grain boundaries. The findings include (1) direct transmission and GBS were anti-compatible and facilitated by opposing boundary types (low misorientation and high energy grain boundaries respectively); (2) increased GBS activity was correlated with decreased indirect transmission behavior; (3) GBS accommodation at triple junctions was enabled by intragranular plasticity; and (4) the local intragranular plastic strain discontinuity between grains determined the magnitude of GBS gradients. This work provides insight into the nature of these mechanisms and can be used to identify strain transfer criteria that can lead to improved GBS-sensitive crystal plasticity models.