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Chakraborty, Aritra

Publications and source records attributed to Chakraborty, Aritra.

Role of interfaces on the mechanical response of accumulative roll bonded nanometallic laminates investigated via dislocation dynamics simulations

Unraveling the effects of continuous dislocation interactions with interfaces, particularly at the nanometer length scales, is key to a broader understanding of plasticity, to material design and to material certification. To this end, this work proposes a novel discrete dislocation dynamics-based model for dislocation interface interactions tracking the fate of residual dislocation on interfaces. This new approach is used to predict the impact of dislocation/interface reactions on the overall mechanical behavior of accumulative roll bonded nanometallic laminates. The framework considers the dynamic evolution of the interface concurrent with a large network of dislocations, thus, accounting for the local short and long range effects of the dislocations under the external boundary conditions. Specifically, this study focuses on two-phase Fe/Cu nanometallic laminates, and investigates the role of the underlying elastic and plastic contrast of the Fe and the Cu layers on the composite response of the material. Moreover, the role of initial microstructures, resulting from processing is also investigated. Subsequently, the model is used to examine the effect of layer thickness and interface orientation relationship on the residual stresses of the relaxed microstructure. The associated mechanical response of these laminates are compared when loaded under normal direction compression, as well as shear compression. Finally, this work predicts a dominant effect of the layer thickness, as compared to the interface orientation relationship, on the macroscopic response and on the residual stresses of these nanolaminates, while the local dislocation transmission propensity through the interface is significantly influenced by the corresponding orientation relationship.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Unraveling kinking: A plasticity enhancing failure mode in high strength nano metallic laminates

Kinking is an important and plasticity-enhancing deformation/failure mode in numerous mechanically anisotropic materials including high-strength nano metallic laminates (NMLs). However, our current limited understanding of the mechanics of kinking and its dependence on microstructural attributes is insufficient for thoroughly comprehending and eventually being able to control failure behaviors of materials. In this study, we investigate kinking dependencies on microstructural attributes in NMLs via in situ micropillar compression, multiscale microstructure characterization, dislocation dynamic simulations, and crystal plasticity modeling. Additionally, by examining several NML systems (Cu/Fe, Ag/Fe, Al-4Mg/Fe), we demonstrate that the development of internal stresses during loading activates local layer-parallel glide triggering kinking in NMLs. Furthermore, this work reveals the effect of key microstructural features including layer thickness, layer waviness, interface barrier strength, and work hardening capacity on kink band formation in NMLs. More broadly, our efforts represent a generically applicable approach for probing large-strain deformation behavior of complex materials via synergetic modeling and experimental efforts.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Coupled chemo-mechanical modeling of point-defect diffusion in a crystal plasticity fast Fourier transform framework

Below the yield strength and at moderate-to-high homologous temperatures, the inelastic deformation of metals is mostly governed/rate-controlled by vacancy diffusion-mediated processes. As a function of grain size, stress, temperature and dislocation content, vacancies (or atoms) can adopt preferential diffusion paths across grain interiors, along grain boundaries, or towards and along dislocations, resulting in climb and self-climb. In the steady state and under constant load, grain boundary and grain bulk vacancy diffusion-mediated plasticity have been described in seminal works by Coble and by Nabarro and Herring, respectively. Yet, the interplay between all aforementioned potential diffusion pathways has not been comprehensively mapped. This work presents a thermodynamically-consistent full-field model integrated within a voxel-based elasto-viscoplastic fast Fourier transform framework, which considers the coupling between the diffusion-mediated plasticity mechanisms. In the proposed approach, the kinetics and kinematics of plastic deformation due to vacancy diffusion along grain boundaries and grain bulk, as well as the exchange between grain boundaries and bulk are described explicitly. A homogenization approach at the voxel level is further introduced to simultaneously consider bulk and grain boundary diffusion in a numerically efficient fashion. The new formulation predicts the expected strain rate dependencies and the scaling of the steady-state creep rate with respect to grain size, temperature, and stress. Finally, the model predicts the transition from grain bulk to grain boundary-dominated diffusion with reduction in grain size, a significant step towards capturing transitions in deformation behavior without any phenomenological or ad-hoc adjustments.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Sensitivity Study of Multiscale and Phenomenological Elasto-Viscoplastic Grade 91 Material Models for Component-Scale Response

Many advanced nuclear reactor concepts currently being developed are targeting higher operating temperatures relative to the current fleet of light water nuclear reactors, for efficiency gains and other operational considerations. The design of high temperature structural components with reliable long-term operational performance will depend on material models that accurately capture the inelastic deformation mechanisms active in these environments. In this work, we perform a detailed parameter sensitivity analysis of two unified elasto-viscoplastic Grade 91 material models capable of capturing long term high temperature creep deformation. The first model is a phenomelogical material model from the Nuclear Engineering Material Library (NEML) developed at Argonne National Lab. The NEML model parameters and their uncertainty were fit to a range of Grade 91 experimental data using Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis. The second model is a LAROMance data-driven surrogate material model developed at Los Alamos National Lab. The LAROMance model is fit to a large database of responses produced by a mechanistic crystal plasticity based polycrystal model. Parameters for the LAROMance surrogate material model reflect the pedigree of the Grade 91 microstructure. Both material models have been integrated into the Grizzly code, based on the open-source MOOSE multiphysics simulation framework, to simulate both the progression of aging mechanisms and the effects of that aging on nuclear power plant structures. Grizzly is used analyze a three-dimensional Grade 91 piping system to compare the long-term inelastic response predicted by these two fundamentally different models and assess the sensitivity of the material model input parameters on this quantity of interest.

42 ENGINEERING↗

Development of a creep model informed by lower-length scale simulations to simulate creep in doped UO 2

Using molecular dynamics, we predict information at the atomistic scale used to develop a mechanistic UO 2 creep model for use in higher length-scale fuel performance codes. The ultimate objective of the model is to better describe the grain size dependence and therefore impact of doping on creep rates in UO 2 . In a previous NEAMS milestone, we found that Nabarro-Herring (bulk diffusional) creep was too low to capture the experimentally observed creep rates in standard UO 2 . Moreover, in that milestone, other mechanisms were explored, such as Coble (grain boundary) creep and dislocation climb, with each mechanism exhibiting different grain size dependencies. Again, these were orders of magnitude too low to describe the experimental creep rates. In this work, we address the previous assumptions made for the Coble creep mechanism by investigating the diffusivity of various defects at grain boundaries in UO 2 and, critically, to determine if enhanced grain boundary diffusivity allows the model to better reproduce experimental results. The diffusivity as a function of temperature for different concentrations of uranium vacancies and interstitials for bulk UO 2 have also been examined using cluster dynamics. Furthermore, using a concentration dependent segregation model, the concentration of defects at the grain boundary were predicted. This atomistic data was then input into the various creep mechanisms and the creep rates compared to the empirical MATPRO correlation (used in BISON) and experiment.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Bayesian analysis for estimating statistical parameter distributions of elasto-viscoplastic material models

High temperature design methods rely on constitutive models for inelastic deformation and failure typically calibrated against the mean of experimental data without considering the associated scatter. Variability may arise from the experimental data acquisition process, from heat-to-heat material property variations, or both and need to be accurately captured to predict parameter bounds leading to efficient component design. Applying the Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) method to produce statistical models capturing the underlying uncertainty in the experimental data is an area of ongoing research interest. This work varies aspects of the Bayesian MCMC method and explores their effect on the posterior parameter distributions for a uniaxial elasto-viscoplastic damage model using synthetically generated reference data. From our analysis with the uniaxial inelastic model we determine that an informed prior distribution including different types of test conditions results in more accurate posterior parameter distributions. The parameter posterior distributions, however, do not improve when increasing the number of similar experimental data. Additionally, changing the amount of scatter in the data affects the quality of the posterior distributions, especially for the less sensitive model parameters. Moreover, we perform a sensitivity study of the model parameters against the likelihood function prior to the Bayesian analysis. The results of the sensitivity analysis help to determine the reliability of the posterior distributions and reduce the dimensionality of the problem by fixing the insensitive parameters. The comprehensive study described in this work demonstrates how to efficiently apply the Bayesian MCMC methodology to capture parameter uncertainties in high temperature inelastic material models. Quantifying these uncertainties in inelastic models will improve high temperature engineering design practices and lead to safer, more effective component designs.

42 ENGINEERING↗

A Minimum Creep Rate for 2-1/4Cr-1Mo Steel Consistent With the ASME Section III, Division 5 Rules

This technical note describes a minimum creep rate model for 2-1/4Cr-1Mo steel that is consistent with the current creep strain equation embedded in the ASME Boiler & Pressure Vessel Code Section III, Division 5, Subsection HB, Subpart B isochronous stress–strain curves. Minimum creep rate models for all the Section III, Division 5 Class A materials are required for the development of improved high temperature design methods. Of all the Class A materials, only 2-1/4Cr-1Mo does not have a readily identifying minimum creep rate term in the current isochronous stress–strain curve model.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Survey of Modeling and Simulation Techniques for Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Volume I – Predicting Initial Microstructures

This report summarizes the current state of modeling and simulation methods for predicting the initial structure and properties of material in components assembled using advanced manufacturing technologies (AMTs). The report is the first volume in a two-volume series. This first volume focuses on predicting initial microstructures of AM material. The second volume discusses predicting material properties given the initial microstructure. The focus is on technologies of particular relevance to the design and manufacture of nuclear reactor components. The purpose of the report is to help develop the technical knowledge base to support regulatory decisions that will be needed to assess nuclear components manufactured with AMTs as these components are installed at nuclear power plants (NPPs). The report develops a list of AMTs of particular interest to the NRC and summarizes the key microstructural features and corresponding processing parameters relevant to each technology. Further sections describe available physically-based and data-driven prediction methods and survey widely available software tools. The report concludes with a summary of gaps that may be of particular interest to the NRC when evaluating modeling and simulation methods for AMTs.

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS↗