Experimental characterization and crystal plasticity modeling for predicting load reversals in AA6016-T4 and AA7021-T79

•Tensile, compressive, and strain path reversal response of AA6016-T4 and AA7021-T79 are characterized.•A polycrystal plasticity model is used to predict and interpret monotonic and strain path reversal deformation of the alloys.•Inter-granular stress and slip system backstress fields govern the non-linear unloading and Bauschinger effect.•Annihilation of dissolutions governs change in the hardening rates during reverse loading from those during forward loading.•Nonlinear unloading, Bauschinger effect, and anisotropic hardening are predicted for both alloys using a single set of model parameters per alloy. The detailed contribution of microstructural-level phenomena, such as dislocation structure development and annihilation, as well as inter-granular and intra-granular backstress fields, to reverse loading behavior in metal alloys remains an area of active research and debate. The ability to predict unloading nonlinearities, the Bauschinger effect (BE), and changes in hardening rates during reverse loading is necessary for accurate modeling of deformation and springback in forming operations that involve strain path changes. This paper applies a recently developed elasto-plastic self-consistent (EPSC) crystal plasticity model to predict and interpret reverse loading in two commercially sensitive aluminum alloys (AA): 6016-T4 and 7021-T79. Model calibration and verification was enabled by an extensive experimental campaign of cyclic loading applied to the two alloys. The experimental data included hardening rates during monotonic tension, linear followed by non-linear unloading, the BE, and hardening rate changes during reverse loading that induce permanent softening. By considering anisotropic elasticity, dislocation density-based hardening, intra-granular slip system-level backstress fields, and inter-granular stress fields, the model predicted and quantified the contribution of different micro-scale phenomena to the observed behavior. The ability of the model to capture contrasting characteristics of the two alloys, particularly the distinct permanent softening and reloading yield stresses, demonstrated its ability to account for the co-dependent nature of crystallographic glide and the sources of hardening originating from the deformation history-dependent dislocation density evolution and backstress fields. Comparison of the experimental and modeling results revealed that the unloading behavior is primarily driven by backstress, the BE is governed by