A strain-gradient crystal plasticity finite element method(SGCP-FEM) was utilized to simulate the compressive deformation behaviors of single-slip, (111)[101], oriented FCC single-crystal micro-pillars with two different slip-plane inclination angles, 36.3o and 48.7o, and the simulation results were compared with those from conventional crystal plasticity finite element method(CP-FEM) simulations. For the low slip-plane inclination angle, a macroscopic diagonal shear band formed along the primary slip direction in both the CP- and SGCP-FEM simulations. However, this shear deformation was limited in the SGCP-FEM, mainly due to the increased slip resistance caused by local strain gradients, which also resulted in strain hardening in the simulated flow curves. The development of a secondly active slip system was altered in the SGCP-FEM, compared to the CP-FEM, for the low slip-plane inclination angle. The shear deformation controlled by the SGCP-FEM reduced the overall crystal rotation of the micro-pillar and limited the evolution of the primary slip system, even at 10% compression.

A strain-gradient crystal plasticity constitutive model was developed in order to predict the Hall Petch behavior of a Ni-base polycrystalline superalloy. The constitutive model involves statistically stored dislocation and geometrically necessary dislocation densities, which were incorporated into the Bailey-Hirsch type flow stress equation with six strength interaction coefficients. A strain-gradient term (called slip-system lattice incompatibility) developed by Acharya was used to calculate the geometrically necessary dislocation density. The description of Kocks-Argon-Ashby type thermally activated strain rate was also used to represent the shear rate of an individual slip system. The constitutive model was implemented in a user material subroutine for crystal plasticity finite element method simulations. The grain size dependence of the flow stress (viz., the Hall- Petch behavior) was predicted for a Ni-base polycrystalline superalloy NIMONIC PE16. Simulation results showed that the present constitutive model fairly reasonably predicts 0.2%-offset yield stresses in a limited range of the grain size.