Combining microstructural characterization with crystal plasticity and phase-field modelling for the study of static recrystallization in pure aluminium

An in-depth understanding of the recrystallization process in alloys is critical to manufacturing metal parts with superior properties. However, the development of recrystallization model under various processing conditions is still in its early research stage and becoming an urgent demand for both the manufacturing industry and scientific research. In this work, a validated numerical model that is capable of predicting the recrystallized grain structure, incubation time for the grain nucleation and texture evolution, was developed using a Kobayashi, Warren and Carter (KWC) phase-field model coupled with crystal plasticity finite element (CPFE) analysis. Through characterising the microstructural evolution of static recrystallization (SRX) by quasi-in-situ Electron Backscatter Diffraction (EBSD) mapping, insights into dislocation density, grain nucleation position, grain growth rate and recrystallized grain orientation were established and compared with the computational model. This model enables a reliable and accurate prediction of recrystallized grain morphology and texture.