Simulation of Plastic Deformation Behavior of Ti-6Al-4V Alloy by Finite Element Method

Abstract

Mechanical properties of alloys have a strong relation with microstructure and determination of their behavior can lead to multiple advantages. To obtain this goal, finite element method )FEM( is one of the best ways. In this study a series of experiments were carried out on the produced Ti-6Al-4V to obtain its mechanical characteristics and to prepare it for photographing in micro dimensions. Next, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), images were taken from some regions of the manufactured Ti-6Al-4V. In the next step, a method was developed to separate alpha-phases from beta-phases with a relatively high accuracy. At the end of this stage, the images were mapped into a matrix involving arrays which show the type of the phases. A code is written which maps the material matrices to the FEM model. The Gurson model is an appropriate model for simulating the damage inside the ductile material. Results of simulations obtained from SEM images show that the simulation data are in good agreement with experimental results and also analysis of simulation clearly shows that the failure always happens in boundaries between two different phases; ductile and brittle, and then growth over them to form the final failure of the material.