Analytical model for predicting induced-stress distributions in polycrystalline materials

A simple micromechanical model of polycrystalline materials is proposed, which enables us to swiftly produce grain-boundary-stress distributions induced by the uniform external loading (in the elastic strain regime). Such statistical knowledge of local stresses is a necessary prerequisite to assess the probability for intergranular cracking initiation. Model predictions are verified through finite element calculations for various loading configurations, material properties, and grain-boundary types specified by the properties of a bicrystal pair of grains enclosing the grain boundary.