Effect of coarse precipitates on surface roughening of an FCC polycrystalline material using crystal plasticity

Effect of precipitates on surface roughening during stretching of a synthetic microstructure that is constructed with microstructural features equivalent to those of Al6061 alloy has been investigated under crystal plasticity framework. Single crystal plasticity simulations are first conducted to examine the interplay between precipitates and the matrix with typical rolling texture components. Afterwards, a banded structure with alternating Cube and Goss orientations is simulated to see the effect of precipitates and the spatial distribution of orientations on surface roughening. Lastly, the roughening behavior of a synthetic microstructure with morphological features identical to those of Al6061 alloy observed through electron back scattered diffraction and scanning electron microscopy images is investigated with crystal plasticity simulations. Results establish that precipitates act differently depending on the spatial distribution of kinematically weak and strong orientations. This study demonstrates how precipitates interact with different orientations and affect surface roughening of a precipitate hardened microstructure with and without texture bands.