Vectorized 3D microstructure for finite element simulations

Microstructure based forming models using statistically representative microstructural input provide the most accurate predictions for early localization and failure during complex forming operations. However, the sheer size and complexity of the three dimensional (3D) microstructural data from real materials makes it hard to implement that data in current finite element models. In this report, a technique to create a vectorized 3D microstructure suitable for input into finite element codes is developed and applied to represent the distribution of particles of different phases found in continuous cast (CC) AA5754 sheets, which tend to have heterogeneous particle distributions with particles of several phases in different shapes and sizes (from 0.2μm to 10μm) and distributed at random, in stringers and along the “centerline”. The technique consists of a 3D reconstruction of the true microstructure by performing serial sections and conversion of the 3D raster image to the vector image. A 3D mesh is generated automatically using Unigraphics and Hypermesh from real particle field measurements, which can be imported to any FE code. The vectorized microstructure is validated by comparison with the reconstructed images of particle distribution data.