Micro-mechanisms of anisotropic deformation in the presence of notch in commercially pure Titanium: An in-situ study with CPFEM simulations

• Coupled in-situ EBSD and CPFEM investigations of commercially pure Titanium. • Different strain evolution at notch tip of TD and RD orientations and related spatio-temporal evolution of slip/twinning and its validation with the simulations. • Localized complex stress/strain state and strain gradient causing high stress at grain boundary leading to activity of higher CRSS slip/twining systems at notch tip. • Anisotropic surface roughness with deformation for TD and RD orientations and its prediction with the simulations. This study investigates the impact of notch severity and initial texture on the micro-mechanisms during low strain deformation in commercially pure Titanium, exploiting in-situ electron back scatter diffraction (EBSD) experiments and crystal plasticity finite element model (CPFEM). In-situ tests were performed at different strain steps of un-notched and notched samples of transverse direction (TD) and rolling direction (RD) orientations. CPFEM , based on initial EBSD microstructures, predicted profuse prismatic slip traces and early activation of prismatic slip in notched sample, with RD orientation exhibiting higher activity. Further, CPFEM results revealed early activation of high CRSS slip systems as well as evidence of early twin activity at notch tip due to severely localized plastic deformation and steep strain gradient, as observed by GND maps causing higher stress at grain boundaries. At the notch tip, digital images correlation (DIC) at microscale indicated strain localization at 45 ∘ and 90 ∘ to the tensile axis for TD and RD orientations, respectively. Furthermore, 2.5D and 3D CPFEM confirmed distinct strain patterns at notch tip: TD orientation exhibited combined basal and prismatic slip influences, while RD orientation displayed dominant prismatic slip systems at localized strain. The model also successfully predicted anisotropic surface roughness, contributing to early necking in RD orientation.