Integration of self-consistent polycrystal plasticity with dislocation density based hardening laws within an implicit finite element framework: Application to low-symmetry metals

•A linked single-crystal to polycrystal to FE macro-scale modeling framework is presented.•EBSD, DIC and mechanical testing data are used to validated the framework.•Anisotropy and tension–compression asymmetry induced by microstructure is predicted.

We present an implementation of the viscoplastic self-consistent (VPSC) polycrystalline model in an implicit finite element (FE) framework, which accounts for a dislocation-based hardening law for multiple slip and twinning modes at the micro-scale grain level. The model is applied to simulate the macro-scale mechanical response of a highly anisotropic low-symmetry (orthorhombic) crystal structure. In this approach, a finite element integration point represents a polycrystalline material point and the meso-scale mechanical response is obtained by the mean-field VPSC homogenization scheme. We demonstrate the accuracy of the FE-VPSC model by analyzing the mechanical response and microstructure evolution of α-uranium samples under simple compression/tension and four-point bending tests. Predictions of the FE-VPSC simulations compare favorably with experimental measurements of geometrical changes and microstructure evolution. Specifically, the model captures accurately the tension–compression asymmetry of the material associated with twinning, as well as the rigidity of the material response along the hard-to-deform crystallographic orientations.