Interaction between dislocations and grain boundaries (GBs) in the forms of dislocation absorption, emission, and slip transmission at GBs significantly affects size-dependent plasticity in fine-grained polycrystals. Thus, it is vital to consider those GB mechanisms in continuum plasticity theories. In the present paper, a new GB model is proposed by considering slip transmission at GBs within the framework of gradient polycrystal plasticity. The GB model consists of the GB kinematic relations and governing equations for slip transmission, by which the influence of geometric factors including the misorientation between the incoming and outgoing slip systems and GB orientation, GB defects, and stress state at GBs are captured. The model is numerically implemented to study a benchmark problem of a bicrystal thin film under plane constrained shear. It is found that GB parameters, grain size, grain misorientation, and GB orientation significantly affect slip transmission and plastic behaviors in fine-grained polycrystals. Model prediction qualitatively agrees with experimental observations and results of discrete dislocation dynamics simulations.
Keywords: crystal plasticity; grain boundary; size effects; slip transmission; strain gradient.