Microstructural modeling of dynamic recrystallization using irregular cellular automata

Cellular automaton (CA) was used to simulate dynamic recrystallization (DRX) during thermomechanical deformation. Initial grain size, initial grain orientation and dislocation density were used as input data to the CA model. Flow curve, dislocation density, final grain size and orientation, and DRX volume fraction were the output data which were compared with experimental data to validate the model. The model proposed in this work considered the thermomechanical parameters (e.g., temperature and strain rate) and their role on the nucleation and growth kinetics during DRX. It was shown that the CA model can predict the final microstructure and flow curve to a high degree of accuracy and was able to successfully simulate the volume fraction of DRX as a function of strain for a wide range of deformation conditions. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.