The Deformation and Fracture Behaviour of Textured 3¼% Silicon Irons at 77 K

Abstract

A study of the low-temperature mechanical properties of two 3¼% silicon iron sheets with different crystallographic textures but alike in all other respects has been carried out. It has been shown that the yield-stress anisotropy of both materials may be quantitatively estimated by a calculation of polycrystalline orientation factors, taking into account simultaneous slip on five independent slip systems. The anisotropy of the cleavage-fracture stresses has been related to the cleavage-plane distributions in the samples. A fracture mechanism taking into account this anisotropy and based on the cracking of brittle silicate inclusions and the existence of groups of grains with the same orientation is proposed.