Recrystallization and texture evolution during hot rolling of copper, studied by a multiscale model combining crystal plasticity and vertex models

A multiscale modeling framework, combining a graph-based vertex model of microstructure evolution with a GPU-parallelized crystal plasticity model, was recently proposed by the authors. Considering hot rolling of copper, the full capabilities of the model are demonstrated in the present work. The polycrystal plasticity model captures the plastic response and the texture evolution during materials processing while the vertex model provides central features of grain structure evolution through dynamic recrystallization, such as nucleation and growth of individual crystals. The multiscale model makes it possible to obtain information regarding grain size and texture development throughout the workpiece, capturing the effects of recrystallization and heterogeneous microstructure evolution. Recognizing that recrystallization is a highly temperature dependent phenomenon, simulations are performed at different process temperatures. The results show that the proposed modeling framework is capable of simultaneously capturing central aspects of material behavior at both the meso- and macrolevel. Detailed investigation of the evolution of texture, grain size distribution and plastic deformation during the different processing conditions are performed, using the proposed model. The results show a strong texture development, but almost no recrystallization, for the lower of the investigated temperatures, while at higher temperatures an increased recrystallization is shown to weaken the development of a typical rolling texture. The simulations also show the influence of the shear deformation close to the rolling surface on both texture development and recrystallization