Mechanisms-based constitutive equations for the superplastic behaviour of a titanium alloy

Abstract

Mechanisms-based constitutive equations are proposed for the high-temperature behaviour of a class of titanium alloys, for which the deformation mechanisms include diffusional creep, grain boundary sliding, dislocation creep and grain growth. A computational procedure has been developed for the determination of the constitutive equations from a material database. The constitutive equations and the procedure for their determination have been validated by modelling the behaviour of the titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V at 927°C. It is shown that the procedure developed for the determination of the mechanisms-based constitutive equations can be used to identify the important deformation mechanisms in operation for particular stress, temperature and strain rate conditions. For the case of the Ti-6Al-4V material, the procedure developed correctly predicts the material hardening due to grain growth and indicates that an additional hardening mechanism operates. In addition, the procedure is able to identify grain boundary sliding as a predominant deformation mechanism. The constitutive equations, which are generic in nature, and the procedure for their determination are applicable over a range of materials and are suitable for modelling the macroscopic and the important microscopic aspects of material behaviour during processing. The equations may be readily determined using the procedure presented, which is highly suitable for development as an expert system, to completely automate the process.