Laura gonzalez
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Working on Key Challenge 4
Laura Gonzalez is focused on connecting experimental and modelling work by integrating 3D material characterisation data into a crystal plasticity model. With Crystal Plasticity Modelling (CPM), different loading scenarios can be simulated to predict how the microstructure deforms under stress, which produces valuable data, such as strain values at each voxel of the deformed microstructure, averaged stress per grain, and changes in grain orientation throughout the loading process. Laura developed her interest in this field during her PhD at the University of Manchester, supported by researchers from the EPSRC Programme grant LightForm, the CDT in Advanced Metallic Systems and Novelis Switzerland. Her work involved the microstructural characterisation of 6XXX aluminium alloys and the use of CPM to predict strain localisation in the microstructure that precedes damage during aluminium sheet bending in automotive applications
“The outputs from a crystal plasticity model that is fed with 3D experimental data are highly valuable to make realistic predictions to evaluate grain interactions and identify parameters in the microstructure that affect the material’s response to a specific load case”