Hardening and softening analysis of pure titanium based on the dislocation density during torsion deformation

The hardening and softening phenomena during torsion deformation are studied based on the Taylor dislocation model for pure titanium. The hardening and softening phenomena are observed through the hardness analysis during micro-indentation test and micro-hardness test. Besides, the variations of indentation size also verify the existence of hardening and softening phenomena during torsion. The variations of geometric necessary dislocations (GNDs) and statistic store dislocations (SSDs) state that the positions of high dislocation density and low dislocation density correspond to the positions of hardening and softening. The results from the microstructure, grain boundaries evolution and twins analysis indicate the twins play an important role in appearance of hardening and softening phenomena. The appearance of hardening and softening phenomena are attributed to the combination of different slip systems and twinning systems combining with the Schmid Factor (SF) analysis and the transmission electron microscope (TEM). The appearance of hardening and softening phenomena can be explained by the Taylor dislocation theory based on TEM analysis.