A simple model for dislocation behavior, strain and strain rate hardening evolution in deforming aluminum alloys

In this work, modeling of the stress–strain behavior is carried out using a simple dislocation model. This model uses three variables to characterize the dislocation population: The average forest and mobile dislocation densities, ρf and ρm, and the average dislocation mean free path L. However, it is shown that within reasonable assumptions, only two of these variables are independent. The mathematical form derived from this dislocation-based model was applied to experimental stress–strain data determined at room temperature for pure aluminum, 3003-O, 2008-T4, 6022-T4, 5182-O and 5032-T4 aluminum alloy sheets. The evolution of the state variables was calculated for these materials from a single stress–strain curve. The average dislocation mean free paths at a strain of 0.5 were compared with TEM observations of dislocation cell sizes or inter-dislocation spacing for specimens deformed equal biaxially with the hydraulic bulge test. A very good agreement was obtained between predictions and experiments.