3D crystal plasticity analyses on the role of hard/soft inclusions in the local slip formation

The present work aims to investigate the phenomenon of local plastic slips formation in the surrounding of inclusions by means of 3D finite element analyses from a mesoscale point of view. Isotropic elastic spherical Al₂O₃ and MnS inclusions are modelled inside a cylindrical ferritic body subjected to tensile loading conditions with the superimposition of hydrostatic pressure. A crystal plasticity constitutive model within the framework of finite strains is adopted for the description of the matrix together with an anisotropic elasticity tensor. Several crystallographic orientations are considered, in relation to the loading direction, to observe the stress distribution and the formation of the plastic deformation in the surrounding of the inclusion. Two modelling strategies of the matrix-defect interface bond are investigated.