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, ρ_f and ρ_m, 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.