Comparison of material flow stress models toward more realistic simulations of friction stir processes of Mg AZ31B

Abstract

Utilizing a proper material model for describing the mechanical behavior of any material is key for a successful simulation of friction stir processing (FSP) where temperature, strain, and strain rate gradients vary abruptly within, and when moving away, from the stirring zone. This work presents a comparison of how faithfully do three different constitutive equations reproduce the state variables of strain, strain rate, and temperature in an FEM simulation of a test-case FSP (1000 rpm spindle speed, and 90 mm/min feed). The three material models considered in this comparison are namely: Johnson-Cook (JC), Sellars-Tegart (ST), and Zerilli-Armstrong (ZA). Constants for these constitutive equations are obtained by fitting these equations to experimental mechanical behavior data collected under a range of strain rates and temperatures of twin-rolled cast wrought AZ31B sheets.It is widely recognized that JC-based models over predicts stress values in the stir zone whereas ST-based models are incapable of capturing work hardening outside of the stir zone. Therefore, a ZA model, being a physical based-HCP specific model, is hereby investigated for its suitability as a material model that would overcome such drawbacks of JC-and ST-based models. The equations from the constitutive models under consideration are fed into an FEM model built using DEFORM 3D to simulate the traverse phases of a friction stir process. Amongst these three material models, comparison results suggest that the HCP-specific ZA model yield better predictions of the state variables: strain, strain rate, and temperature, and, consequently, the estimated values for flow stresses.