Multi-scale computational modeling of lightweight aluminum-lithium alloys

The present study addresses the multi-scale computational modeling of a lightweight Aluminum-Lithium (Al-Li) 2070 alloy. The Al-Li alloys display significant anisotropy in material properties because of their strong crystallographic texture. To understand the relationships between processing, microstructural textures at different material points and tailored material properties, a multi-scale simulation is performed by controlling the texture evolution during deformation. To achieve the multi-scale framework, a crystal plasticity model based on a one-point probability descriptor, Orientation Distribution Function (ODF), is implemented to study the texture evolution. Next, a two-way coupled multi-scale model is developed, where the deformation gradient at the macro-scale integration points is passed to the micro-scale ODF model and the homogenized stress tensor at the micro-scale is passed back to the macro-scale model. A gradient-based optimization scheme which incorporates the multi-scale continuum sensitivity method is utilized to calibrate the slip system parameters of the alloy using the available experimental data. Next, the multi-scale simulations are performed for compression and tension using the calibrated crystal plasticity model, and the texture data is compared to the experiments. With the presented multi-scale modeling scheme, we achieve the location-specific texture predictions for a new generation Al-Li alloy for different deformation processes.