Grain orientation effects in Zr702α polycrystalline samples deformed in channel die compression at room temperature

Deformation mechanisms are determined in five zirconium polycrystalline samples deformed by channel die compression at room temperature (T1-T5 textures). Slip systems are characterized by a slip trace analysis and twinning systems by a misorientation calculation between twinned and non-twinned parts of the grains, from Electron Back Scattering Diffraction (EBSD) measurements. The analysis is completed by the measurement of crystallographic texture evolutions and the examination of the stress-strain curves. Prismatic glide and {10 (1) over bar 2} twinning are identified as primary deformation modes and first-order pyramidal slip {10 (1) over bar 1} and basal slip as secondary slip modes. The experimental study is completed by a numerical approach using polycrystalline models which is consistent with the experimental observations. (C) 1998 Acta Metallurgica Inc. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.