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Two-dimensional (2D) discrete dislocation plasticity simulations are carried out to investigate the Bauschinger effect (BE) in freestanding thin films. The BE in plastic flow of polycrystalline materials is generally understood to be caused by inhomogeneous deformation during loading, leading to residual stress upon unloading. This inhomogeneity can be caused by dislocation pile-ups, variations in texture, grain orientations, and grain size. To study the BE, columnar-grained films as well as films with multiple grains across the thickness are considered. The film is modeled in a 2D framework by a unit cell consisting of an array of grains with different orientation. In order to capture the interaction among grains, we motivate and explore the use of an affine deformation assumption on the grain level to mimic the three-dimensional geometry in this framework. It is shown that the dispersion of grain size in a film together with the size-dependence of yield strength leads to significant BEs in bare films. Quantitative comparison of simulations with experimental data is provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A discrete dislocation plasticity analysis of plastic deformation in metal thin films caused by thermal stress is carried out. The calculations use a two-dimensional plane-strain formulation with only edge dislocations. Single crystal films with a specified set of slip systems are considered. The film-substrate system is subjected to a prescribed temperature history and a boundary value problem is formulated and solved for the evolution of the stress field and for the evolution of the dislocations structure in the film. A hard boundary layer forms at the interface between the film and the substrate, which does not scale with the film thickness and thus gives rise to a size effect. It is found that a reduction in the rate of dislocation nucleation can occur abruptly, which gives rise to a two-stage hardening behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Stress development and relaxation in polycrystalline thin films perfectly bonded to a stiff substrate is analyzed numerically. The calculations are carried out within a two-dimensional plane strain framework. The film–substrate system is subject to a prescribed temperature decrease, with the coefficient of thermal expansion of the metal film larger than that of the substrate. Plastic deformation arises solely from the glide of edge dislocations. The dislocations nucleate from pre-existing Frank–Read sources, with the grain boundaries and film–substrate interface acting solely as impenetrable barriers to dislocation glide. At each stage of loading, a boundary value problem is solved to enforce the boundary conditions and the stress field and the dislocation structure are obtained. The results of the simulations show both film-thickness and grain size dependent strengthening of polycrystalline films. Limited plasticity occurs in films with a sufficiently small grain-size, mainly due to a reduced nucleation rate in the constrained grain geometry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In this paper, dislocation climb is incorporated in a two-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics model. Calculations are carried out for polycrystalline thin films, passivated on one or both surfaces. Climb allows dislocations to escape from dislocation pile-ups and reduces the strain-hardening rate, especially for fully passivated films. Within the framework of this model, climb modifies the dislocation structures that develop during plastic deformation and results in the formation of pile-ups on slip planes that do not contain any dislocation sources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]