Plasticity modelling for deformation-induced anisotropy in sheet metals: from experiments to finite element implementation

Abstract Deformation-induced anisotropic hardening strongly influences springback, strain localisation, forming limits and unloading-sensitive response in metallic sheet materials, and must therefore be represented reliably in finite-element simulations of sheet-forming operations. Existing syntheses have clarified the phenomenology of load-path effects and catalogued broad classes of constitutive models, but they have generally devoted less attention to the practical questions that govern engineering adoption: which observed behaviours justify which model family, what test information is minimally required for calibration, and what implementation burden follows at the FE level. This article presents a critical narrative review of deformation-induced anisotropic hardening in metallic sheet materials from the viewpoint of model selection, calibration and finite-element deployment. Experimentally observed responses are reorganised into a three-layer framework linking observable hardening signatures, constitutive evolution modes and representative model families. Prior syntheses are positioned explicitly to define the distinct contribution of the present review in terms of calibration burden, identifiability, implementation readiness and decision-oriented model choice. Crystal-plasticity-based approaches are discussed as supporting virtual laboratories for mechanism interpretation and synthetic calibration data generation. Computational issues relevant to industrial deployment are reviewed in terms of local stress updates, consistent elastoplastic tangents and parameter-identification workflows. The scope is restricted to constitutive descriptions of anisotropy evolution in metallic sheet materials up to the onset of localised necking. The overall aim is to provide a practical map for choosing, calibrating and implementing anisotropic hardening models in sheet-forming simulations.