In situ nanotomography study of polycrystalline effects on strain heterogeneity and damage nucleation under plane strain tension

The improvement of formability under plane strain tension of 6XXX series Al-alloys would result in the reduction of automotive CO2 emissions. The present proposal aims at understanding strain localization and damage nucleation under plane strain tension using correlative techniques. A lab DCT scan will reveal the grain structure in 3D prior to in situ nano-tomography tensile testing. During the nanotomography scanning, very small particles can be seen that allow for image correlation at high resolution inside the material and to identify strain heterogeneity up to fracture in link with the underlying grain structure. Damage nucleation and growth kinetics will be identified at very small length scales. The measured strain fields will be compared to numerical twin 3D crystal plasticity simulations.