Comparison of surface displacement measurements in a ferritic steel using AFM and non-local plasticity

An attempt to experimentally study deformation characteristics around grain boundaries and to analyze the presence of strain gradients is presented. The evolution of surface profiles is studied by atomic force microscopy (AFM) at relatively small strains. The results indicate that this method can be used to draw conclusions about the deformation characteristics, e.g. in large grains the surface profile seems to vary within a grain. This latter effect can be seen as an indication of the inhomogeneous deformation occurring within large grains. The results are also compared with FEM calculations using a non-local crystal plasticity theory that incorporates strain gradients in the hardening moduli.