A unified microstructural metal plasticity model applied in testing, processing, and forming of aluminium alloys

Over the last seven years a collection of models has been developed and put together by Nes, Marthinsen and coworkers in what here will be referred to as the Microstructure-based Metal Plasticity model, or in short as the MMP model. An overview of the most important modelling aspects will be given here. The basic mechanisms are related to the way the dislocations are stored and recovered in the lattice and how they affect the flow stress during deformation. The model at its current state is able to predict the microstructure evolution and the corresponding flow stress for the entire temperature range and for large strain rates as well as creep behaviour. The inherited processing-related quantities, such as grain size, solute content of alloying elements, and the texture, are taken into account, including a model for dynamic strain ageing. Anisotropy of the stress tensor is related mainly to the coupling to a texture model accounting for lattice rotations of the grains. However, a new and novel model is developed to cope with the transient behaviour, following strain path changes.