The effect of grain size and grain orientation on deformation twinning in a Fe–22 wt.% Mn–0.6 wt.% C TWIP steel

We investigate the effect of grain size and grain orientation on deformation twinning in a Fe–22 wt.% Mn–0.6 wt.% C TWIP steel using microstructure observations by electron channeling contrast imaging (ECCI) and electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Samples with average grain sizes of 3 μm and 50 μm were deformed in tension at room temperature to different strains. The onset of twinning concurs in both materials with yielding which leads us to propose a Hall–Petch-type relation for the twinning stress using the same Hall–Petch constant for twinning as that for glide. The influence of grain orientation on the twinning stress is more complicated. At low strain, a strong influence of grain orientation on deformation twinning is observed which fully complies with Schmidʹs law under the assumption that slip and twinning have equal critical resolved shear stresses. Deformation twinning occurs in grains oriented close to 〈1 1 1〉//tensile axis directions where the twinning stress is larger than the slip stress. At high strains (0.3 logarithmic strain), a strong deviation from Schmidʹs law is observed. Deformation twins are now also observed in grains unfavourably oriented for twinning according to Schmidʹs law. We explain this deviation in terms of local grain-scale stress variations. The local stress state controlling deformation twinning is modified by local stress concentrations at grain boundaries originating, for instance, from incoming bundles of deformation twins in neighboring grains.