Modelling the deformation of face centred cubic crystals to study the effect of slip on {110} planes

The deformations of single crystals and polycrystals of aluminum have been modelled using the finite-element method. The constitutive behaviour is modelled using crystal plasticity to account for the plastic deformation by slip, and to track the hardening and reorientation of the material. By discretizing each crystal with a large number of elements, the non-uniform deformations due to local inhomogeneities and interactions with neighbouring crystals are modelled. Simulations of plane strain compression of (001)[110] oriented single crystals are used to demonstrate the ability of the model to capture shearing in the rolling-normal plane, and the consequent reorientation of the crystal to the {112}〈111〉 copper components. The simulations are used to examine the effect of including {110}〈110〉 slip systems in addition to the usual {111}〈110〉 systems for face centred cubic metals on the stability of the cubic orientation. The results indicate that slip on {110} planes greatly enhances the stability of the cubic orientation, while having little contribution in the deformation of most other orientations.