On the computational solution of vector-density based continuum dislocation dynamics models: A comparison of two plastic distortion and stress update algorithms

Continuum dislocation dynamics models of mesoscale plasticity consist of dislocation transport reaction equations coupled with crystal mechanics equations. The coupling between these two sets of equations is such that dislocation transport gives rise to the evolution of plastic distortion (strain), while the evolution of the latter fixes the stress from which the dislocation velocity field is found via a mobility law. Earlier solutions of these equations employed a staggered solution scheme for the two sets of equations in which the plastic distortion was updated via time integration of its rate, as found from Orowan's law. In this work, we show that such a direct time integration scheme can suffer from accumulation of numerical errors. We introduce an alternative scheme based on field dislocation mechanics that ensures consistency between the plastic distortion and the dislocation content in the crystal. The new scheme is based on calculating the compatible and incompatible parts of the plastic distortion separately, and the incompatible part is calculated from the current dislocation density field. Stress field and dislocation transport calculations were implemented within a finite element based discretization of the governing equations, with the crystal mechanics part solved by a conventional Galerkin method and the dislocation transport equations by the least squares method. A simple test was first performed to show the accuracy of the two schemes for updating the plastic distortion, which shows that the solution method based on field dislocation mechanics is more accurate. This method then was used to simulate an austenitic steel crystal under uniaxial loading and multiple slip conditions. By considering dislocation interactions caused by junctions, a hardening rate similar to discrete dislocation dynamics simulation results was obtained. The simulations show that dislocations exhibit some self-organized structures as the strain is increased.

Automated summary

Continuum dislocation dynamics models of mesoscale plasticity involve coupling dislocation transport reaction equations with crystal mechanics equations, where plastic distortion evolves with dislocation transport and in turn fixes the stress. A new scheme based on field dislocation mechanics is introduced to ensure consistency between plastic distortion and dislocation content in the crystal, showing higher accuracy compared to traditional direct time integration schemes. Simulations using this method on an austenitic steel crystal under uniaxial loading and multiple slip conditions demonstrate the emergence of self-organized structures in dislocations as strain increases.