Temperature-dependent constitutive modeling of a magnesium alloy ZEK100 sheet using crystal plasticity models combined with in situ high-energy X-ray diffraction experiment

A multiscale crystal plasticity model accounting for temperature-dependent mechanical behaviors without introducing a larger number of unknown parameters was developed. The model was implemented in elastic-plastic self-consistent (EPSC) and crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) frameworks for grain-scale simulations. A computationally efficient EPSC model was first employed to estimate the critical resolved shear stress and hardening parameters of the slip and twin systems available in a hexagonal close-packed magnesium alloy, ZEK100. The constitutive parameters were thereafter refined using the CPFE. The crystal plasticity frameworks incorporated with the temperature-dependent constitutive model were used to predict stress–strain curves in macroscale and lattice strains in microscale at different testing temperatures up to 200 °C. In particular, the predictions by the crystal plasticity models were compared with the measured lattice strain data at the elevated temperatures by in situ high-energy X-ray diffraction, for the first time. The comparison in the multiscale improved the fidelity of the developed temperature-dependent constitutive model and validated the assumption with regard to the temperature dependency of available slip and twin systems in the magnesium alloy. Finally, this work provides a time-efficient and precise modeling scheme for magnesium alloys at elevated temperatures.