MODELING HETEROGENEOUS MICROSTRUCTURES, INHOMOGENEOUS DEFORMATION ANDFAILURE IN SUPERPLASTICITY

A material model is presented for superplastic deformation at the cont inuum level, which is coupled with the inhomogeneous microstructural e volution that occurs through normal grain growth and deformation enhan ced growth. The model has been developed to provide for finite element analyses at the process level, in which the evolution of experimental ly observed distributions of grain size can be predicted, together wit h localisation and failure. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science S.A . All rights reserved.