Distribution of stresses and elastic strain energy in an ideal multicrystal model

A planar array of hexagonal grains was used as a two-dimensional model of the ideal multicrystal, and the anisotropic finite element method was employed to analyse the features about the stress and elastic strain energy distributions. The purpose was to investigate the effects of grain boundary and triple junction on the local mechanical properties of the multicrystal. The results show that the distributions of stresses and elastic strain energy are distinctly inhomogeneous in a macroscopic isotropic multicrystal under uniaxial load. The highest and lowest of the stress and elastic strain energies exist at some grain boundaries and triple junctions. The highest resolved shear stress of each primary slip system in each grain occurs at some grain boundaries, but not at triple junctions. Slip may first initiate from the grain boundary of the stiffer grain. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.