Microstructural modelling of P91 martensitic steel under uniaxial loading conditions

The changing face of power generation requires an improved understanding of the deformation and failure response of power plant materials. Important insights can be obtained through microstructurally motivated modelling studies. This paper deals with the comparisons of predictions of the mechanical response of a power plant steel (P91), obtained from a model with a measured microstructure with those obtained from a numerically simulated microstructure. Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) is employed to obtain the orientation of the martensitic grain structure of the steel. This information is incorporated within a representative volume element (RVE) to represent the material microstructure. A nonlinear, rate dependent, finite strain crystal plasticity model is used to represent the deformation of the material, with the orientation of each finite-element integration point determined from the EBSD analysis. The deformation under uniaxial tension is analysed. Due to the inhomogeneous microstructure strong strain gradients are generated within the RVE even under remote homogenous strain states. It is seen that peak stress/strain states are associated with particular features of the microstructure. The results taken from the model are compared with those obtained with an equiaxed microstructure generated using the Voronoi tessellation method.