Multiple mechanism based constitutive modeling of gradient nanograined material

Gradient nano-grained (GNG) materials, inside which grain size increases gradually from nano-scale in the surface to micro-scale in the substrate, have shown synergetic strength and ductility. The extra strain hardening of GNG materials is considered to result from both geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs) accommodating nonuniform plastic deformation and superior kinematic hardening characterized by back stress. However, few quantitative investigations were performed to evaluate the contribution of various strengthening mechanisms to the mechanical response of GNG materials. In this work, we develop a multiple-mechanism-based constitutive model, in which constitutive laws for GNDs and back stress at both grain level and sample level are established. Microstructure-based finite element simulation successfully predicts the uniaxial tensile behavior of a GNG interstitial-free (IF) steel sheet. The simulation results demonstrate that GNDs and back stress at sample level have little influence on the strengthening of the GNG IF-steel, while the back stress induced by pileup GNDs contributes about 35% to the flow stress. The uniform elongation of the GNG sample is improved by the constraint of coarse-grained core on GNG layer. This work helps to understand the contributions of deformation mechanisms to the synergetic strength and ductility of GNG materials and to guide the microstructure design and optimization for improved strength-ductility combination. •A multiple-mechanism-based model is developed to describe the mechanical behavior of GNG materials.•The effects of different mechanisms on the tensile response of GNG are quantitatively evaluated.•The effects of the constraint of the CG core on the GNG layer and back stress improve the ductility of the GNG sample.