Statistical continuum theory for large plastic deformation of polycrystalline materials (Q5930717)

The paper deals with the application of statistical continuum theory to large deformation plasticity of polycrystalline materials to predict the stress-strain response and texture evolution. Elasticity is neglected, and the interaction law is derived for a viscoplastic polycrystal using the secant formulation. Locally the fully symmetric secant modulus is determined by velocity gradient and by a set of state variables. The set of state variables includes three Euler angles which define the orientation of crystal lattice with respect to a chosen macroscopic reference frame. Green's function is utilized to solve partial differential equations describing the equilibrium of the polycrystal. The first-order correction to homogeneous Taylor solution is considered, and a statistical continuum model with correlation functions is introduced to relate local properties to global ones. The evolution of probability functions with the deformation reflects the development of the structure. The factors that influence their evolution are evaluated, taking into account strain-rate as well as spin tensor effects, and the development of the texture. The authors present a numerical scheme and perform a comparison of Taylor model with macroscopic behavior of the statistical model, for uniaxial tension and compression, using different macroscopic strain rates. The simulations show the logarithm of macroscopic strain-rate versus as a function of the ratio of macroscopic stresses, as well as the texture development (i.e. the volume fraction) as a function of the macroscopic strain.