3-D simulation of spatial stress distribution in an AZ31 Mg alloy sheet under in-plane compression

A complete 3-D crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) that considered both crystallographic slip and deformation twinning was applied to simulate the spatial distribution of the relative amount of slip and twin activities in a polycrystalline AZ31 Mg alloy during in-plane compression. A microstructure mapping technique that considered the grain size distribution and microtexture measured by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) technique was used to create a statistically representative 3-D microstructure for the initial configuration. Using a 3-D Monte Carlo method, a 3-D digital microstructure that matched the experimentally measured grain size distribution was constructed. Crystallographic orientations obtained from the EBSD data were assigned on the 3-D digital microstructure to match the experimentally measured misorientation distribution. CPFEM captured the heterogeneity of the stress concentration as well as the slip and twin activities of a polycrystalline AZ31 Mg alloy during in-plane compression.

► A complete 3-D CPFEM was applied to simulate the heterogeneity of stress concentration.
► A microstructure mapping technique based on EBSD data was used to create a statistically representative 3-D microstructure.
► A modified PTR scheme was implemented to simulate the activation of more than one twin variant.
► CPFEM captured the heterogeneity of the stress concentration as well as the slip and twin activities of AZ31 Mg alloys.