Predictions of microtorsional experiments by micropolar plasticity

Kinematic hardening rules are employed in classical plasticity to capture the so–called Bauschinger effect. They are important when describing the material response during reloading. In the framework of thermodynamically consistent gradient plasticity theories, kinematic hardening effects were first incorporated into a micropolar plasticity model by Grammenoudis and Tsakmakis. The aim of the present paper is to investigate this model by predicting size effects in torsional loading of circular cylinders. It is shown that kinematic hardening rules compared with isotropic hardening rules, as adopted in the paper, provide more possibilities for modelling size effects in the material response, even if only monotonous loading conditions are considered.