Extension of the Lemaitre Damage Model to Account for Static and Dynamic Recrystallization Behavior

Abstract:

Open-die forging is an incremental bulk metal forming process for producing large, safety-relevant components such as turbine and generator shafts. Besides achieving the target geometry, the process improves mechanical properties through grain refinement and the elimination of casting-related defects. With the increasing use of high-alloy steels, precise process control is required to prevent surface and internal cracking caused by material damage. However, predictive models for damage evolution under the thermo-mechanical conditions of open-die forging remain limited, particularly with respect to high-temperature recrystallization and the incremental process character with inherent pause times. In this work, a recrystallization-sensitive damage model was developed and validated for open-die forging. The parameters of the Lemaitre damage formulation were determined for the cold work tool steel D2 (1.2379, X155CrVMo12-1) using hot tensile tests over the relevant forging temperature range. Dynamic recrystallization kinetics were characterized by hot compression tests and described using an Avrami-type JMAK formulation, while static recrystallization behavior was analyzed by stress relaxation experiments and also modeled with JMAK kinetics. These results enabled the quantification of recrystallized fractions as functions of strain, temperature, strain rate, and dwell time. To link microstructural evolution with damage development, tailored recrystallization states were generated in dilatometer experiments and examined metallographically with respect to void formation and healing. The extended model was implemented in a finite element framework and validated through open-die forging experiments on demonstrator geometries, showing its capability to predict damage initiation under industrially relevant conditions.

• Periodical: Materials Science Forum (Volume 1183)
• Pages: 81-92
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.4028/p-5wea0U
• Online since: April 2026
• Authors: Moritz Gouverneur*, David Bailly, Junhe Lian
• Keywords: Damage, Forging, Modeling, Simulation

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