Effect of cold rolling route on deformation mechanism and texture evolution of thin beryllium foils: Experiment and VPSC simulation

The evolution of texture during cold rolling and annealing of beryllium foils in relation to the planar anisotropy of mechanical properties was studied in this work by experiment and modeling. A viscoplastic self-consistent model was used to predict the beryllium crystallographic texture after cold deformation and to evaluate the activity of the slip systems. The basal slip {0001} 〈11-20〉 was identified as the main deformation mechanism of polycrystalline beryllium subjected to cold rolling regardless of the rolling route. However, the foil texture formed after hot rolling may affect the shape evolution during subsequent cold rolling. Experiments and calculations showed that the mechanical properties and the planar anisotropy of the foils are essentially affected by the texture. Cold rolling can be an effective way to control the texture and thus, the mechanical properties of the thin beryllium foils through the formation of the favorable fiber 〈0001〉 texture. •The basal slip is the main deformation mechanism during cold rolling of beryllium.•The mechanical properties depend significantly on the texture of beryllium foils.•High strength, ductility and their planar isotropy result from a fiber texture.•Enchased mechanical properties caused by activation of a prismatic slip.