Use of the Correlation between Grain Size and Crystallographic Orientation in Crystal Plasticity Simulations: Application to AISI 420 Stainless Steel

Crystal plasticity models attempt to reproduce the complex deformation processes of polycrystalline metals based on a virtual representation of the real microstructure. When choosing this representation, a compromise must be made between level of detail at the local level and statistical significance of the aggregate properties, also taking into account the computational cost of each solution. In this work, the correlation between crystallographic orientation and grain size is considered in the definition of virtual microstructures for the simulation of the mechanical behavior of AISI 420 stainless steel (consisting of a ferrite matrix with large carbide precipitates), in order to improve the accuracy of the solution without increasing model complexity or computation time. Both full-field (DAMASK) and mean-field models (Visco Plastic Self Consistent (VPSC)) are used together in combination with experimental results to study the validity of the assumptions done in each of the models.