Polycrystal plasticity modeling for load reversals in commercially pure titanium

In this work, we use polycrystal modeling to study the interactions between slip and twinning during load reversals of commercially pure titanium. The constitutive response incorporates anisotropic elasticity, crystal plasticity, a dislocation density based hardening law for prismatic slip, basal slip, and pyramidal type I 〈c + a〉 slip, and micromechanical model for twin reorientation on two types: {1012¯} extension twinning and {112¯2} contraction twinning. The key feature of the model is the inclusion of slip-system level backstress development due to dislocation density accumulation. To demonstrate, the model is used to simulate the stress-strain response and texture evolution in a series of compression-tension and tension-compression tests carried out to different strain levels and applied in two different load directions to a strongly textured CP-Ti plate. Material parameters associated with the slip strengths for the three slip modes are reported. The model identifies the few systems within the pyramidal 〈c + a〉 slip mode as developing the most backstress among the three slip modes. It also indicates that the backstresses that develop in the forward loading path promote pyramidal slip in the reversal loading path. We also find that reverse loading changes negligibly the relative slip mode contributions from monotonic loading but it strongly affects the twinning-detwinning behavior. This work highlights the ability of polycrystal modeling to account for the co-dependent nature of multiple crystallographic slip and twinning modes, the hysteresis in plastic response during the forward-reversal cycle, and the two sources of hardening engendered by history-dependent dislocation density accumulation. •A polycrystal model is presented to study interactions between slip and twinning during strain reversal path change tests of commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti).•The model incorporates anisotropic elasticity; the prismatic, basal and pyramidal type I slip modes extension and contraction twinning mode.•A single set of material parameters are presented that reproduce the eight distinct strain reversal sequences.•The model identifies the pyramidal slip mode as developing the most backstress among the three slip modes.•The model indicates that the backstress results in a Bauschinger effect and can promote contraction twinning.