Simulation of the plastic response of Ti–6Al–4V thin sheet under different loading conditions using the viscoplastic self-consistent model

In this article, the capacity of the Visco-Plastic Self-Consistent model (VPSC) as a constitutive model for the simulation of cold-rolled Ti–6Al–4V under a diverse set of loading conditions is investigated. The model uses information about the material crystallographic texture and grain morphology obtained with EBSD together with a grain constitutive model that is sensitive to strain rate and temperature. The ability of the model to capture the macroscopic response and underlying microstructural phenomena is critically assessed considering various sets of hardening parameters, obtained applying different fitting procedures to tensile experiments in different directions on the sheet plane. In order to validate the fitted parameters, the obtained model is applied to the simulation of experiments in a wide range of testing conditions, including uniaxial, plane strain and simple shear loading modes at strain rates ranging from 10⁻⁴s⁻¹ to 10³s⁻¹ and temperatures between −10°C and 70°C. High strain rate experiments were performed using a Split Hopkinson Bar setup, with specimens designed to achieve the desired loading mode, while isothermal experiments were performed with the help of a fluid cell to keep a constant temperature. A good agreement between experimental and simulation results is obtained.