From single grains to texture

Structural materials, such as metals, ceramics, and their composites are most often polycrystalline. The nature, morphology, and composition of their microstructure determine in large measure the mechanical properties of the final product, and the art to design novel materials is to find particular arrangements which make them harder, more shock absorbing, heat resistant, or self-recovering upon damage and aging. The understanding of the basic processes and their interplay in a polycrystalline structure are most important for improved simulation of plastic deformation and to predict their thermo-mechanical behavior.