ALFLOW-model - a microstructural approach to constitutive plasticity-modelling of aluminium alloys

A new approach to the modeling of work hardening during plastic deformation of pure fcc metals has recently been proposed by the present authors. The model is based on a statistical approach to the problem of athermal storage of dislocations. By combining the solution for the dislocation storage problem with models for dynamic recovery of network dislocations and sub-boundary structures, a general internal state variable description is obtained. Effects due to elements in solid solution and the presence of non-deformable precipitate particles are also included. The result is a work hardening model and associated computer code capable of providing the stress strain behavior for a given solid solution alloy under any combination of constant strain rate and temperature. This paper presents a dedicated version of this model (ALFLOW) designed for dealing with the problems of work hardening and flow-stress saturation in aluminium alloys.