Bimodal and nanocrystalline aluminum alloys are being investigated as stronger replacements for conventional polycrystalline aluminum alloys. Higher strengths are achieved by reducing the grain size of a metal; however, as the grain size is reduced the ductility diminishes. One solution that limits this decrease in ductility is the addition of a few microcrystalline grains into a nanocrystalline alloy, creating a bimodal microstructure that offers a better balance of strength and ductility. Two- and three-dimensional microstructural finite element (FE) simulations of monotonic and fatigue failures in Al-5083 having bimodal grain structures are conducted. To reduce the computational time and facilitate the modeling of microstructural features, a global-local model is developed. Macroscopic linear elastic and nonlinear plastic properties for each of the bimodal compositions are first used to simulate the tensile and fatigue tests in a global FE model. Subsequently, a local model that represents a single element at the center of the global model is built with distinct coarse grains (CGs) distributed throughout an ultra-fine grain (UFG) matrix. Ten percent of the elements in this model are defined as CGs, after which nanocrystalline and polycrystalline properties are assigned to the UFG and CG regions, respectively.
Available fatigue test data is utilized to generate a low cycle fatigue damage model for bimodal grains size Al-5083 and obtain the damage model constants for varied levels of coarse grains. This fatigue damage model is then used in conjunction with a finite element continuum damage modeling approach, namely, successive initiation, to predict the damage and crack initiation sites and propagation paths in bimodal grains size alloys. The successive initiation method is used to continually accumulate damage in elements and initiate and propagate the crack through grains that reach the failure criteria defined for monotonic and cyclic loading. It is observed from the monotonic FE model that cracks initiate on the boundaries between CGs and UFGs then propagate through the UFG matrix around the CG until they become large enough to extend into the CGs themselves. In the cyclic FE models, the crack is observed to initiate in a CG and propagate along the CG and the surrounding UFG matrix.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UTAHS/oai:digitalcommons.usu.edu:etd-1715 |
| Date | 01 December 2010 |
| Creators | Nelson, Steven |
| Publisher | DigitalCommons@USU |
| Source Sets | Utah State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | All Graduate Theses and Dissertations |
| Rights | Copyright for this work is held by the author. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owner. Responsibility for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information contact Andrew Wesolek (andrew.wesolek@usu.edu). |
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