Finite element modeling of plastic anisotropy induced by texture and strain-path change

Consideration of plastic anisotropy is essential in accurate simulations of metal forming processes. In this study, finite element (FE) simulations have been performed to predict the plastic anisotropy of sheet metals using a texture- and microstructure-based constitutive model. The effect of crystallographic texture is incorporated through the use of an anisotropic plastic potential in strain-rate space, which gives the shape of the yield locus. The effect of dislocation is captured by use of a hardening model with four internal variables, which characterize the position and the size of the yield locus. Two applications are presented to evaluate the accuracy and the efficiency of the model: a cup drawing test and a two-stage pseudo-orthogonal sequential test (biaxial stretching in hydraulic bulging followed by uniaxial tension), using an interstitial-free steel sheet. The experimental results of earing behavior in the cup drawing test, maximum pressure and strain distribution in bulging, and transient hardening in the sequential test are compared against the FE predictions. It is shown that the current model is capable of predicting the plastic anisotropy induced by both the texture and the strain-path change. The relative significance of texture and strain-path change in the predictions is discussed.