Crystal plasticity modeling of electropulsing induced plasticity in metals

A crystal plasticity model incorporating the effects of magnetoplasticity, electron-wind, imbalance of charges near grain boundaries and Joule heating in high frequency short duration electric current pulsed metals has been developed for metals with a face center cubic (FCC) structure. The model decouples the athermal and thermal effects on dislocation activity and quantifies their effects on flow stress. The Joule heating affects the thermal activation in plastic deformation. The magnetoplasticity and electron-wind reduce the slip barrier or contribute additional force to assist dislocation motion. Imbalance of charges near grain boundaries may amplify or minimize the contribution of thermal or other athermal effects. The developed crystal plasticity model has been implemented in DAMASK and verified by simulating electroplasticity in aluminum. The results reveal that the magnetoplasticity reduces flow stress and the reduction increases with the peak current density. Joule heating is generally less important during the processing due to the short pulse duration but becomes more significant when the frequency goes up. The impact of imbalance of charges near grain boundaries on Joule heating depends on the thickness of grain boundaries, the distribution of current density and conductivity, while it always reduces the effect on magnetoplasticity. The electron-wind effect on flow stress is negligible compared to the other three factors. This work provides some new insights in the understanding of electroplasticity in metals.