Investigating the orientation dependence of local fields around spherical defects using crystal plasticity simulations

The presence of a void or secondary particle plays a crucial role in both the mechanical response and damage evolution of metals. This work presents local stress and strain field predictions in a single crystalline matrix that contains a spherical void or hard particle using crystal plasticity finite element method (CP-FEM) simulations. Simulations demonstrate highly heterogeneous orientation dependent local fields near defects. In particular, we show that matrix decohesion around hard particles will occur first before void growth in pre-existing voids under strain-controlled uniaxial tension and isochoric loading. Furthermore, CP-FEM simulations predict that the $\left[\bar{1}11\right]$-oriented grain is most susceptible for failure, while grains oriented toward the $\left[001\right]$ orientation are more resistant to failure. This work provides insights into how grain-scale microstructure with volumetric defects influence the local damage and failure behavior in metal alloys.