Static recrystallization simulations by coupling cellular automata and crystal plasticity finite element method using a physically based model for nucleation

This study presents a 2D cellular automata simulation of static recrystallization (SRX) arising from the subgrain growth in single-phase material following cold deformation by coupling with a crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) method. The spatial distribution of the stored deformation energy was obtained by CPFE simulation, based on which the initial deformed microstructure consisting of nonuniformly distributed subgrains was predicted. To simulate grain/subgrain growth during annealing, a curvature-driven mechanism was used, in which the grain/subgrain boundary energy and mobility were misorientation-dependent. On the SRX nucleation, a physically based model using critical subgrain size as criterion was adopted, which could provide better insight into the recrystallization nucleation mechanism involving grain boundary bulging. Simulations under different pre-deformation conditions were performed, and the influence of strain rate and strain on the SRX microstructure evolution and the transformation kinetics were investigated. Results show that deformation at higher strain rate can accelerate the SRX kinetics, and the SRX behavior depends more on the deformation state of individual grain than the nominal strain due to the relatively small computational domain.