Multiscale experimental study on the effect of texture and anisotropy on the thermomechanical response of zirconium

The adiabatic compression of metals in the split-Hopkinson pressure bar is associated with a rise in temperature due to the dissipation of work energy. High strain rate compression experiments on zirconium are carried out to investigate a possible dependence of dissipation on deformation mechanism. No correlation is found between deformation twinning and energy dissipation, and the appearance of energy storage in basal textured polycrystals is explained by the presence of localized deformation. Experimental and numerical techniques are used to study the microstructural origins of an inhomogeneous response and the multiscale nature of its development. In situ full field thermography and digital image correlation (DIC) complement post-mortem microscopy in identifying micro- and macroscale inhomogeneity at small, moderate and large strains. Qualitative and quantitative correlations between local texture and local (DIC measured) strain fields indicate that the slip-restricted nature of zirconium, the strong texture of cross-rolled plate, and the particular chemistry of the zirconium studied lead to an inhomogeneous response at nearly every length scale observed in basal textured polycrystals.