On deformation twinning in a 17.5% Mn–TWIP steel: A physically based phenomenological model

TWinning Induced Plasticity (TWIP) steel is a typical representative of the 2nd generation advanced high strength steels (AHSS) which exhibits a combination of high strength and excellent ductility due to the deformation twinning mechanisms. This paper discusses the principal features of deformation twinning in faced-centered cubic austenitic steels and shows how a physically based macroscopic model can be derived from microscopic-level considerations. In fact, a dislocation-based phenomenological model, with internal state variables including dislocation density and micro-twins volume fraction describing the microstructure evolution during deformation process, is proposed to model the deformation behavior of TWIP steels. The originality of this work lies in the incorporation of a physically based model on twin nucleation and volume fraction evolution in a conventional dislocation-based approach. Microstructural level experimental observations with scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscope (TEM) techniques together with the macroscopic quasi-static tensile test, for the TWIP steel Fe–17.5 wt.% Mn–1.4 wt.% Al–0.56 wt.% C, are used to validate and verify the modeling assumptions. The model could be regarded as a semi-phenomenological approach with sufficient links between microstructure and the overall mechanical properties, and therefore offers good predictive capabilities. Its simplicity also allows a modular implementation in finite element-based metal forming simulations.