An integrated full-field model of concurrent plastic deformation and microstructure evolution: Application to 3D simulation of dynamic recrystallization in polycrystalline copper

TL;DR

This paper introduces an integrated 3D full-field model coupling mechanical response with microstructure evolution to simulate dynamic recrystallization in polycrystalline copper, providing detailed insights into the process.

Contribution

It presents a novel coupling of FFT-EVP and phase-field models for microstructure evolution during deformation, enabling comprehensive 3D simulations of DRX.

Findings

DRX initiates earlier due to heterogeneous deformation.

DRX grains form at boundaries and junctions, maintaining triple lines.

Stress redistribution significantly affects dislocation evolution and softening.

Abstract

Many time-dependent deformation processes at elevated temperatures produce significant concurrent microstructure changes that can alter the mechanical properties in a profound manner. Such microstructure evolution is usually absent in mesoscale deformation models and simulations. Here we present an integrated full-field modeling scheme that couples the mechanical response with the underlying microstructure evolution. As a first demonstration, we integrate a fast Fourier transform-based elasto-viscoplastic (FFT-EVP) model with a phase-field (PF) recrystallization model, and carry out three-dimensional (3D) simulations of dynamic recrystallization (DRX) in polycrystalline copper. A physics-based coupling between FFT-EVP and PF is achieved by (1) adopting a dislocation-based constitutive model in FFT-EVP, which allows the predicted dislocation density distribution to be converted to a stored energy distribution and passed to PF, and (2) implementing a stochastic nucleation model for DRX. Calibrated with the experimental DRX stress-strain curves, the integrated model is able to deliver full-field mechanical and microstructural information, from which quantitative description and analysis of DRX can be achieved. It is suggested that the initiation of DRX occurs significantly earlier than previous predictions, due to heterogeneous deformation. DRX grains are revealed to form at both grain boundaries and junctions (e.g., quadruple junctions) and tend to maintain a triple line with old grains during the growth. The resulted stress redistribution is found to have a profound influence on the subsequent dislocation evolution and the softening.