The effect of temperature and solute content on the plastic properties of polycrystalline alloys

Abstract

A micromechanical theory is developed to derive the effects of temperature and solute content on the plastic properties of a polycrystalline alloy from those of its constituent grains. This theory considers the deformation mechanism, the active and latent hardening and the condition of multislip in each grain, and the stress redistribution due to grain interactions. We used an exponential temperature dependence and Labusch's theory of solid solution hardening to construct the constitutitive equation of slip systems, and a modified Hill's self-consistent relation to evaluate the local stress of constituents grains. The property of the polycrystalline aggregate was then calculated by an averaging process. The developed theory was finally applied to predict the stress-strain behaviour of AlCu alloys; the results were found to be in good accord with experimental data.