Crystal Plasticity Modelling of Localization in Precipitation Hardened AA6060

Precipitation hardened aluminum alloys are used extensively in the construction of vehicle components and demand high fidelity models in order to simulate their complex precipitate mechanics. In this work, a crystal plasticity approach utilizing an Eshelby homogenizationHomogenization scheme is proposed to capture the single crystal response of age-hardened AA6060. The constitutive framework uses the precipitate’s morphology and orientation for the direct simulation of the alloy’s mechanical behaviour. A numerical study is conducted with the developed model to investigate the effects of different precipitate properties on the material’s formabilityFormability. The model utilizes a full-field finite element framework in combination with a plastic instability criterion to simulate the alloy’s localization response. Results of this study highlight the significance of incorporating precipitates into constitutive models for the prediction of formabilityFormability in age-hardened materials.