Thermodynamically Consistent Hybrid and Permutation-Invariant Neural Yield Functions for Anisotropic Plasticity

Plastic anisotropy in metals remains challenging to model. This is partly because conventional phenomenological yield criteria struggle to combine a highly descriptive, flexible representation with constraints, such as convexity, dictated by thermodynamic consistency. To address this gap, we employ architecturally-constrained neural networks and develop two data-driven frameworks: (i) a hybrid model that augments the Hill yield criterion with an Input Convex Neural Network (ICNN) to get an anisotropic yield function representation in the six-dimensional stress space and (ii) a permutation-invariant input convex neural network (PI-ICNN) that learns an isotropic yield function representation in the principal stress space and embeds anisotropy through linear stress transformations. We calibrate the proposed frameworks on a sparse Al-7079 extrusion experimental dataset comprising 12 uniaxial samples with measured yield stresses and Lankford ratios. To test the robustness of each framework, nine datasets were generated using k-fold cross-validation. These datasets were then used to quantitatively compare Hill-48, Yld2004-18p, pure ICNNs, the hybrid approach, and the PI-ICNN frameworks. While ICNNs and hybrid approaches can almost perfectly fit the training data, they exhibit significant over-fitting, resulting in high validation and test losses. In contrast, both PI-ICNN frameworks demonstrate better generalization capabilities, even outperforming Yld2004-18p on the validation and test data. These results demonstrate that PI-ICNNs unify physics-based constraints with the flexibility of neural networks, enabling the accurate prediction of both yield loci and Lankford ratios from minimal data. The approach opens a path toward rapid, thermodynamically consistent constitutive models for advanced forming simulations and future exploration of coupled hardening or microstructure-informed design.