Leading-edge infrastructure renovation is driven by innovations in materials processing to optimize desired properties. The immediate challenge for the metal industry is the development of effective and efficient materials quality-control practices. At present, mechanical and sheet forming properties are assessed using standard tensile tests to measure yield and ultimate tensile strengths, as well as the total elongation to failure. The resulting stress-strain data is used as a “pass-fail” test to ensure that the product meets industry specifications. We report a new method of constitutive relation analyses (CRA) that can extract fundamental information regarding the underlying crystalline mechanisms of deformation and failure from standard stress-strain data. The CRA method is applied to industrial extrusion product made from AA6063 aluminum alloy to demonstrate how this type of forensic examination can be used to direct changes to thermo-mechanical processing to optimize desired material properties. The CRA prediction of point-defect generation and nano-void formation leading to ductile failure during plastic flow was validated by small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) studies.

领先的基础设施翻新是由材料加工创新推动的，以优化所需的性能。金属行业面临的直接挑战是发展有效的材料质量控制方法。目前，使用标准拉伸试验评估机械性能和片材成形性能，以测量屈服强度和极限拉伸强度，以及总断裂伸长率。所得的应力-应变数据用作“通过-失败”测试，以确保产品符合行业规范。我们报告了一种本构关系分析（CRA）的新方法，该方法可以从标准应力应变数据中提取有关变形和破坏的潜在晶体机制的基本信息。CRA方法应用于由AA6063铝合金制成的工业挤压产品，以演示如何将这种类型的法医检查用于指导对热机械加工的更改，以优化所需的材料性能。通过小角度X射线散射（SAXS）研究验证了CRA预测的点缺陷产生和纳米空隙形成会导致塑性流动期间的延性破坏的CRA预测。