The constitutive behavior of hafnium

The mechanical behavior in compression and the microstructural evolution of highly textured, polycrystalline, HCP hafnium has been examined as a function of specimen orientation and strain. Specimen orientation had a marked effect on the mechanical behavior. Differences in the orientation of the c-axis with respect to the loading direction affected the yield stress, work hardening behavior, and anisotropy of the tested specimen, with the highest yield stresses and rates of work hardening in specimens compressed along the c-axis. Additionally, the amount of twinning and the slip systems activated during deformation as well as the textural evolution varied based on specimen orientation and correlated well with the observed yield stresses and work hardening behaviors.