A Combined Precipitation, Yield Strength, and Work Hardening Model for Al-Mg-Si Alloys

In the present article, a new two-internal-variable model for the work hardening behavior of commercial Al-Mg-Si alloys at room temperature is presented, which is linked to the previously developed precipitation and yield strength models for the same class of alloys. As a starting point, the total dislocation density is taken equal to the sum of the statistically stored and the geometrically necessary dislocations, using the latter parameters as the independent internal variables of the system. Classic dislocation theory is then used to capture the overall stress-strain response. In a calibrated form, the work hardening model relies solely on outputs from the precipitation model and thus exhibits a high degree of predictive power. In addition to the solute content, which determines the rate of dynamic recovery, the two other microstructure parameters that control the work hardening behavior are the geometric slip distance and the corresponding volume fraction of nonshearable Orowan particles in the base material. Both parameters are extracted from the predicted particle size distribution. The applicability of the combined model is illustrated by means of novel process diagrams, which show the interplay between the different variables that contribute to work hardening in commercial Al-Mg-Si alloys.