Effect of External Constraints on Deformation Behavior of Aluminum Single Crystals Cold-Rolled to High Reduction: Crystal Plasticity FEM Study and Experimental Verification

In this study, aluminum single crystals with a {1 0 0} <0 0 1> (Cube) orientation were rolled under two conditions: with external constraints imposed by an external aluminum frame (3DRC) and without external constraints (3DR). The crystal plasticity finite element method (CPFEM) was used to simulate texture evolution, and the results corresponded well with experimental observations. The minor discrepancies observed were primarily attributed to the idealized conditions in the simulation. The results demonstrate that in the 3DR model, crystal orientations predominantly rotate around the transverse direction (TD), with non-TD rotations playing a secondary role. In contrast, the 3DRC model exhibits similar rotation patterns to 3DR at lower reductions, but at higher reductions, non-TD rotations become comparable to TD rotations. This difference results in more concentrated orientations in 3DR and more dispersed orientations in 3DRC. Additionally, analysis reveals that external constraints cause deformation behavior to deviate from the plane strain condition rather than move closer to it. The presence of external constraints alters stress and strain states, modifying the activation of slip systems and crystal rotations, leading to significant variations in slip activity, shear strain, and crystal rotation along TD.