Comparison of Full-Field Crystal Plasticity Simulations to Synchrotron Experiments: Detailed Investigation of Mispredictions

Crystal plasticity-based digital twins are an alternative to expensive and time-consuming experiments for the investigation of micro-mechanical material behavior. However, before using simulations as an alternative for experiments, the capabilities and limitations of the modeling approach need to be known. This is best done by juxtaposing the predictions of digital twins against experimental data. The present work assesses the capabilities of full-field crystal plasticity simulations in an additively manufactured (AM) nickel-based superalloy that was characterized in situ by high-energy X-ray diffraction microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction as part of challenge 4 of air force research laboratory’s AM modeling challenge series. To ensure that the grains of interest are initialized with the measured eigenstrains, a novel scheme is proposed and its performance is evaluated. The overall agreement between simulation and experiment is assessed and compared to previous studies using the same dataset and aspects for which a systematic disagreement is seen are discussed.