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Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of rigid water model TIP4P-EW at ambient conditions were carried out. Delaunay’s simplexes were considered as structural elements of liquid water. Topological criterion which allows to identify the water microstructure in snapshot of MD cell was used to allocate its dense part. Geometrical analysis of water Delaunay’s simplexes indicates their strong flatness in comparison with a regular tetrahedron that is fundamentally different from the results for dense part of simple liquids. The statistics of TIP4P-EW water clusters was investigated depending on their cardinality and connectivity. It is similar to the statistics for simple liquids and the structure of this dense part is also a fractal surface consisting of the free edges of the Delaunay’s simplexes.

The article describes the state of the art computer simulation in the field of metal forming processes, the main problem points of traditional methods were identified. The method, that allows to predict the deformation distribution in the volume of deformable metal with taking into account of microstructure behavioral characteristics in deformation load conditions, was described. The method for optimizing computational resources of multiscale models by using statistical similar representative volume elements (SSRVE) was presented. The modeling methods were tested on the process of single pass drawing of round rod from steel grade 20. In a comparative analysis of macro and micro levels models differences in quantitative terms of the stress-strain state and their local distribution have been identified. Microlevel model also allowed to detect the compressive stresses and strains, which were absent at the macro level model. Applying the SSRVE concept repeatedly lowered the calculation time of the model while maintaining the overall accuracy.

The paper presents an optimization approach to microstructure simulation. Porosity function was optimized by numerical method, grain-size model was optimized by complex method based on criteria of model quality. Methods have been validated on examples. Presented new regression model of model quality. Actual application of proposed method is 3D reconstruction of core sample microstructure. Presented results suggest to prolongation of investigations. 

The article contains results of modeling of bi-modal microstructure evolution of VT6 alloy during isothermal forging. The model of recrystallization based on dislocation approach to nucleation and growth of nuclear was made to calculate recrystallization processes of the secondary alpha phase. The globularization process of lamellar alpha phase was calculated with assumption of diffusion-control migration of beta-phase boundary due to grain boundary diffusion of vanadium atom. The theoretical results were compared with experimental one.

Superplastic forming of Ni and Ti based alloys is widely used in aerospace industry. The main advantage of using the effect of superplasticity in sheet metal forming processes is a feasibility of forming materials with a high amount of plastic strain in conditions of prevailing tensile stresses. This article is dedicated to study commercial FEM software SFTC DEFORM application for prediction thickness deviation during low temperature superplastic forming of UFG Ti-6-4 alloy. Experimentally, thickness deviation during superplastic forming can be observed in the local area of plastic deformation and this process is aggravated by local softening of the metal and this is stipulated by microstructure coarsening. The theoretical model was prepared to analyze experimentally observed metal flow. Two approaches have been used for that. The first one is the using of integrated creep rheology model in DEFORM. As superplastic effect is observed only in materials with fine and ultrafine grain sizes the second approach is carried out using own user procedures for rheology model which is based on microstructure evolution equations. These equations have been implemented into DEFORM via Fortran user’s solver subroutines. Using of FEM simulation for this type of forming allows tracking a strain rate in different parts of a workpiece during a process, which is crucial for maintaining the superplastic conditions. Comparison of these approaches allows us to make conclusions about effect of microstructure evolution on metal flow during superplastic deformation. The results of the FEM analysis and theoretical conclusions have been approved by results of the conducted Erichsen test. The main issues of this study are as follows: a) the DEFORM software allows an engineer to predict formation of metal shape under the condition of low-temperature superplasticity; b) in order to augment the accuracy of the prediction of local deformations, the effect of the microstructure state of an alloy having sub-microcristalline structure should be taken into account in the course of calculations in the DEFORM software.