Study of the dynamic Bauschinger effect in Ti6Al4V by torsion experiments

Ghent University, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium

Abstract

The materials kinematic hardening behaviour and Bauschinger effect is indispensible to describe complex deformation processes involving strain path changes. Moreover, the Bauschinger effect provides valuable information about underlying microstructural plasticity mechanisms. Until now, the Bauschinger effect at high strain rates remains a largely unexplored topic. However, different studies demonstrated the strain rate dependent character of the Bauschinger effect. The aim of this work is to study the dynamic Bauschinger effect by means of a novel experimental technique. A modified torsional split Hopkinson bar setup is used to conduct Bauschinger experiments on Ti6Al4V. Forward and reverse loading of the specimen take place successively in only one experiment. This has the advantage of having the same thermal conditions during the two loading cycles. Besides high strain rate tests, quasi-static torsional Bauschinger experiments are conducted. The Bauschinger effect at the different strain rates is quantified with a dimensionless Bauschinger stress parameter. It is found that the Bauschinger effect is present at all tested strain rates. However, it is more pronounced at high strain rates. This implies that the kinematic hardening of Ti6Al4V is strain rate sensitive.