Finite element modelling of indentation testing in an AA1050 microstructure

Abstract Heterogeneous microstructures can be produced in structural metals from heterogeneous deformation, and they can also be purposely designed to meet specific requirements in high-demanding engineering applications. When designing a heterogeneous microstructure in metallic materials, it is important to know the local mechanical properties such as the stress-strain behavior. However, due to the local varying microstructure, direct measurement of the local mechanical properties is not feasible either by bulk testing or by miniature testing. In this work, an iterative approach, based on the finite element method and under the assumption that the local mictrostructure is homogeneous, will be presented as an example to extract the local mechanical properties of cold-rolled AA1050 from indentation tests as an example. The uncertainties of the proposed method are discussed.