Computational Modeling of Dislocation Slip Mechanisms in Crystal Plasticity: A Short Review

The bridge between classical continuum plasticity and crystal plasticity is becoming narrower with continuously improved computational power and with engineers’ desire to obtain more information and better accuracy from their simulations, incorporating at the same time more effects about the microstructure of the material. This paper presents a short overview of the main current techniques employed in crystal plasticity formulations for finite element analysis, as to serve as a point of departure for researchers willing to incorporate microstructure effects in elastoplastic simulations. We include both classical and novel crystal plasticity formulations, as well as the different approaches to model dislocations in crystals.