Predictive modeling of the nonuniform deformation of the aluminum alloy 5182

We pose an experimental model for hot deformation that, in complexity, falls between a homogeneous laboratory test and an industrial process. Our objective is to document a transition between two distinct modes of thermally-activated deformation: diffusion controlled solute drag and hardening with concurrent recovery of dislocations. We demonstrate that constitutive equations for plasticity, describing different regimes of dislocation kinetics and calibrated with a minimum of adjustable constants, can be incorporated into finite element analysis and used reliably to predict the mechanical response of a nonuniform body.