Deformation of thermosetting resins at impact rates of strain. Part 2: constitutive model with rejuvenation

The constitutive responses of three glassy thermoset polymers at impact rates of strain and slower, together with measurements of adiabatic heating, were reported earlier by the authors. The results are interpreted here in the context of a constitutive model proposed previously for amorphous polymers, expanded to incorporate strain-softening and the adiabatic heating deficit. In terms of the model, both features are a natural consequence of strain-induced evolution of the glass structure, as represented by Tool's “fictive temperature”—the phenomenon of structural rejuvenation. A representation is proposed for the evolution of fictive temperature with plastic strain, motivated by an approximate treatment of the kinetics of physical ageing/rejuvenation. Formulated in this manner, the model agrees reasonably well with experimental results across the wide range of strain rates of the previous experiments, 10⁻³ to , and across most of the range of strain to failure in compression. At the highest strains, however, an additional adiabatic heating deficit appears that is not predicted by the model, either suggesting the onset of structural breakdown possibly associated with the appearance of cracks or reflecting a need for better physical understanding of large deformations in glassy polymers.     

高分子材料平面应变拉伸变形局部化

将基于应变软化玻璃状高分子材料微观特征建立的ＢＰＡ８－链分子网络模型引入ＵｐｄａｔｉｎｇＬａｇｒａｎｇｅ有限元方法，建立了适于变形局部化分析的大变形弹塑性有限元驱动应力法．在此基础上，数值模拟了初始各向同性高分子材料平面应变拉伸变形局部化的传播过程．探讨了ＢＰＡ模型对具有加工硬化特性的结晶性高分子材料变形分析的适应性；分析了局部化传播过程中颈缩截面的非均匀应力三轴效应；最后，讨论了网格尺寸以及初始几何不均匀性对颈缩扩散以及应力三轴效应的影响     

Evolution of strain localization in glassy polymers: A numerical study

An explicit numerical implementation is described, for a constitutive model of glassy polymers, previously proposed and validated. Then it is exploited within a Finite Element continuum model, to simulate spontaneous strain localization (necking) occurring during extension of a prismatic bar of a typical glassy polymer. Material parameters for atactic polystyrene are employed. The material model is physically based and highly non-linearly viscoelastic. Three of its principal features are critical in simulations of strain localization: rate-dependence of plastic flow stress; strain-induced structural rejuvenation, represented by increase of Tool’s fictive temperature and leading to pronounced post-yield strain softening; and molecular alignment during extension, giving rise to strain-hardening. In all simulations there is a peak in nominal stress, satisfying the condition for localization to occur. Nevertheless, the simulations show that the process of strain localization varies considerably, depending on details of the extension sequence and on assumed values for certain material parameters. A characteristic feature observed is that strain localization in such a material occurs in two stages. There is an initial spurt associated with strain-softening, followed by a slower growth of localization that eventually subsides, ultimately giving way to uniform extension of the neck. But the details of evolution of the strain distribution vary greatly. The rapidity and severity of localization are increased by decreased temperature, increased strain-rate or greater structural rejuvenation. A simple one-dimensional stability analysis is successful in explaining the results.     

Effects of spatial grain orientation distribution and initial surface topography on sheet metal necking

The finite element method is used to numerically simulate localized necking in AA6111-T4 under stretching. The measured EBSD data (grain orientations and their spatial distributions) are directly incorporated into the finite element model and the constitutive response at an integration point is described by the single crystal plasticity theory. We assume that localized necking is associated with surface instability, the onset of unstable growth in surface roughening. It is demonstrated that such a surface instability/necking is the natural outcome of the present approach, and the artificial initial imperfection necessitated by the macroscopic M–K approach [Marciniak and Kuczynski (1967). Int. J. Mech. Sci. 9, 609–620] is not relevant in the present analysis. The effects of spatial orientation distribution, material strain rate sensitivity, texture evolution, and initial surface topography on necking are discussed. It is found that localized necking depends strongly on both the initial texture and its spatial orientation distribution. It is also demonstrated that the initial surface topography has only a small influence on necking.     

Micromechanical modeling of the elasto-viscoplastic behavior of semi-crystalline polymers

A micromechanically based constitutive model for the elasto-viscoplastic deformation and texture evolution of semi-crystalline polymers is developed. The model idealizes the microstructure to consist of an aggregate of two-phase layered composite inclusions. A new framework for the composite inclusion model is formulated to facilitate the use of finite deformation elasto-viscoplastic constitutive models for each constituent phase. The crystalline lamellae are modeled as anisotropic elastic with plastic flow occurring via crystallographic slip. The amorphous phase is modeled as isotropic elastic with plastic flow being a rate-dependent process with strain hardening resulting from molecular orientation. The volume-averaged deformation and stress within the inclusions are related to the macroscopic fields by a hybrid interaction model. The uniaxial compression of initially isotropic high density polyethylene (HDPE) is taken as a case study. The ability of the model to capture the elasto-plastic stress-strain behavior of HDPE during monotonic and cyclic loading, the evolution of anisotropy, and the effect of crystallinity on initial modulus, yield stress, post-yield behavior and unloading-reloading cycles are presented.     

预延伸非晶聚合物材料各向异性变形局部化

给出一种可描述预延伸各向异性特性的背应力张量三维表达式，引入大变形弹塑性有限元驱动应力法，结合ＢＰＡ８ 链细观分子网络模型，模拟了预延伸各向异性非晶聚合物材料平面应变拉伸变形局部化力学行为．详细讨论了预延伸比（ＩｎｉｔｉａｌＤｒａｗｉｎｇＲａｔｉｏ；ＩＤＲ）和预延伸方向（ＩｎｉｔｉａｌＤｒａｗｉｎｇＤｉｒｅｃｔｉｏｎ；ＩＤＤ）对变形抗力、颈缩规律、剪切带方向以及试件中心部位链延伸比的影响．     

Numerical simulations of necking during tensile deformation of aluminum single crystals

Finite element simulations are used to study strain localization during uniaxial tensile straining of a single crystal with properties representative of pure Al. The crystal is modeled using a constitutive equation incorporating self- and latent-hardening. The simulations are used to investigate the influence of the initial orientation of the loading axis relative to the crystal, as well as the hardening and strain rate sensitivity of the crystal on the strain to localization. We find that (i) the specimen fails by diffuse necking for strain rate exponents m < 100, and a sharp neck for m > 100. (ii) The strain to localization is a decreasing function of m for m < 100, and is relatively insensitive to m for m > 100. (iii) The strain to localization is a minimum when the tensile axis is close to (but not exactly parallel to) a high symmetry direction such as [1 0 0] or [1 1 1] and the variation of the strain to localization with orientation is highly sensitive to the strain rate exponent and latent-hardening behavior of the crystal. This behavior can be explained in terms of changes in the active slip systems as the initial orientation of the crystal is varied.     

A physically-based constitutive model for anisotropic damage in rubber-toughened glassy polymers during finite deformation

The present work focuses on the development of a physically-based model for large deformation stress-strain response and anisotropic damage in rubber-toughened glassy polymers. The main features leading to a microstructural evolution (regarding cavitation, void aspect ratio, matrix plastic anisotropy and rubbery phase deformation) in rubber-toughened glassy polymers are introduced in the proposed constitutive model. The constitutive response of the glassy polymer matrix is modelled using the hyperelastic-viscoplastic model of [Boyce et al., 1988] and [Boyce et al., 2000]. The deformation mechanisms of the matrix material are accounted for by two resistances: an elastic-viscoplastic isotropic intermolecular resistance acting in parallel with a visco-hyperelastic anisotropic network resistance, each resistance being modified to account for damage effects by void growth with a variation of the void aspect ratio. The effective contribution of the hyperelastic particles to the overall composite behaviour is taken into account by treating the overall system in a composite scheme framework. The capabilities of the proposed constitutive model are checked by comparing experimental data with numerical simulations. The deformation behaviour of rubber-toughened poly(methyl methacrylate) was investigated experimentally in tension at a temperature of 80 °C and for different constant true strain rates monitored by a video-controlled technique. The reinforcing phase is of the soft core-hard shell type and its diameter is of the order of one hundred nanometers. The particle volume fraction was adjusted from 15% to 45% by increments of 5%. The stress-strain response and the inelastic volumetric strain are found to depend markedly on particle volume fraction. For a wide range of rubber volume fractions, the model simulations are in good agreement with the experimental results. Finally, a parametric analysis demonstrates the importance of accounting for void shape, matrix plastic anisotropy and rubber content.     

Plastic flow in oriented glassy polymers

A manufactured product often possesses residual texture which was either incidentally or deliberately acquired during its processing history. This is particularly true for the case of polymers, where the ability to easily preferentially preorient the material in specific directions is exploited in order to obtain a higher strength product. Specific examples include synthetic fibers, and biaxially-oriented films and containers. The response of the preoriented/textured product to normal service life loading conditions will differ considerably from that of a product composed of isotropic material. This paper addresses the issue of the effects of texture on the deformation behavior of glassy polymers. Here, the physically-based constitutive model of Boyce, Parks, and Argon describing the rate, temperature, and pressure dependent inelastic deformation of initially isotropic glassy polymers is used to model the effects of preorientation (i.e., initial texture), via the use of appropriate initial conditions on internal state variables. The model is then utilized in an analysis of the effects of texture on the yield of glassy polymers and the shear localization which normally follows yielding in oriented polymers. These results are compared with trends found in experiments as reported in the literature. The effectiveness of the proposed model for the present application is also compared with earlier models of yielding of anisotropic materials such as Hill's criterion.     

Elastic/crystalline viscoplastic finite element analyses of single- and poly-crystal sheet deformations and their experimental verification

The elastic/crystalline viscoplastic constitutive equation, based on a newly proposed hardening-softening evolution equation, is introduced into the dynamic-explicit finite element code “Itas-Dynamic.” In the softening evolution equation, the effective distance and the angle between each slip system of a crystal are introduced to elucidate the interaction between the slip systems, which causes a decrease of dislocation density. The polycrystal sheet is modeled by Voronoi polygons, which correspond to the crystal grains; and by the selected orientations, which can relate to the texture, they are assigned to the integration points of the finite elements. We propose a direct crystal orientation assignment method, which means that each integration point of finite element has an assigned orientation, and its orientation can be rotated independently. Therefore, this inhomogeneous polycrystal model can consider the plastic induced texture development and subsequent anisotropy evolution. The parameters of the constitutive equation are identified by uni-axial tension tests carried out on single crystal sheets. Numerical results obtained for sheet tensions are compared with experimental ones to confirm the validity of our finite element code. Further, we investigate the following subjects: (1) how the initial orientation of single crystal affects slip band formation and strain localization; (2) how the grain size and particular orientations of the grain affect the strain localization in case of a polycrystal sheet. It is confirmed that the orientation of a single crystal can be related to the primary slip system and the deformation induced activation of that system, which in turn can be related to the slip band formation of the single crystal sheet. Further, in case of a polycrystal sheet, the larger the grain size, the more the strain localizes at a specific crystal, which has the particular orientation. It is confirmed through comparisons with experiments that our finite element code can predict the localization of strain in sheets and consequently can estimate the formability of sheet metals.     

Incorporation of yield surface distortion in finite deformation constitutive modeling of rigid-plastic hardening materials based on the Hencky logarithmic strain

In this paper a constitutive model for rigid-plastic hardening materials based on the Hencky logarithmic strain tensor and its corotational rates is introduced. The distortional hardening is incorporated in the model using a distortional yield function. The flow rule of this model relates the corotational rate of the logarithmic strain to the difference of the Cauchy stress and the back stress tensors employing deformation-induced anisotropy tensor. Based on the Armstrong–Fredrick evolution equation the kinematic hardening constitutive equation of the proposed model expresses the corotational rate of the back stress tensor in terms of the same corotational rate of the logarithmic strain. Using logarithmic, Green–Naghdi and Jaumann corotational rates in the proposed constitutive model, the Cauchy and back stress tensors as well as subsequent yield surfaces are determined for rigid-plastic kinematic, isotropic and distortional hardening materials in the simple shear deformation. The ability of the model to properly represent the sign and magnitude of the normal stress in the simple shear deformation as well as the flattening of yield surface at the loading point and its orientation towards the loading direction are investigated. It is shown that among the different cases of using corotational rates and plastic deformation parameters in the constitutive equations, the results of the model based on the logarithmic rate and accumulated logarithmic strain are in good agreement with anticipated response of the simple shear deformation.     

Modelling multi-scale deformation of amorphous glassy polymers with experimentally motivated evolution of the microstructure

Novel experimental data, obtained recently using advanced multi-scale experiments, have been used to develop a micro-mechanically motivated constitutive model for amorphous glassy polymers. Taking advantage of the experiments, the model makes use of a microstructural deformation gradient to incorporate the experimentally obtained deformation of the microstructure, as well as its evolving orientation. By comparing results from the model to experimental data, it is shown that the proposed approach is able to accurately predict glassy polymer deformation over a wide range of length-scales, from the macroscopic response (mm range) down to the deformation of the microstructure (nm range). The proposed model is evaluated by comparing the numerical response to experimental results on multiple scales from an inhomogeneous cold drawing experiment of glassy polycarbonate. Besides the macroscopic force–displacement response, a qualitative comparison of the deformation field at the surface of the specimen is performed. Furthermore, the predicted evolution of the fabric orientation is compared to experimental results obtained from X-ray scattering experiments. The model shows very good agreement with the experimental data over a wide range of length scales.     

Configurational mechanics of necking phenomena in engineering thermoplastics

Necking is a significant part of the yielding process in many thermoplastics. It starts as strain localization associated with microshear banding and/or cavitations and appears as a domain of oriented (drawn) material, i.e., a “neck”, separated from the domain of original (isotropic) material by a narrow transition zone, which appears as a distinct boundary of the neck region. On further increase of displacement, the neck propagates through the test specimen under constant draw stress. Strain localization such as crazing and shear bending is associated with necking on micro- and sub-microscales. As a result material toughness, i.e., resistance to cracking, as well as durability, i.e., service lifetime under various service conditions, are related to the material ability to necking and specific characteristics of necking process. Necking is manifested in significant changes in a characteristic length scale, e.g., the distance between equally spaced marks in the reference state may increases by factor of 2 in amorphous polymers and up to a factor of 10 in some semicrystalline thermoplastics. There is also a characteristic relaxation time change during the necking. Thus from continuum mechanics viewpoint, the changes of intrinsic material space-time metric are the most fundamental manifestation of necking. Therefore we model necking phenomena as space-time scales transformation and introduce a four-dimensional (4D) Riemannian metric tensor of a material space-time imbedded into 4D Newtonian (laboratory) space-time with a Euclidean metric. Kinetic equation of necking, i.e., evolution equation for material metric tensor is derived using extremal action principle. An example of traveling wave solution for neck propagation in a tensile bar is presented. Analysis of the solution and comparison with experimental observations are discussed.     

Micromechanics, macromechanics and constitutive modeling of the elasto-viscoplastic deformation of rubber-toughened glassy polymers

Under certain conditions, such as sufficiently low temperatures, high loading rates and/or highly triaxial stress states, glassy polymers display an unfavorable characteristic—brittleness. A technique used for reducing the brittleness (increasing the fracture toughness) of these materials is rubber toughening. While there is significant qualitative understanding of the mechanical behavior of rubber-toughened polymers, quantitative modeling tools for the large-strain deformation of rubber-toughened glassy polymers are largely lacking.In this paper, we develop a suite of numerical tools to investigate the mechanical behavior of rubber-toughened glassy polymers, with emphasis on rubber-toughened polycarbonate. The rubber particles are modeled as voids in view of their deformation-induced cavitation early during deformation. A three-dimensional micromechanical model of the heterogeneous microstructure is developed to study the effects of initial rubber particle (void) volume fraction on the underlying elasto-viscoplastic deformation mechanisms in the material, and how these mechanisms influence the macroscopic response of the material. A continuum-level constitutive model is developed for the large-strain elasto-viscoplastic deformation of porous glassy polymers, and it is calibrated against micromechanical modeling results for porous polycarbonate. The constitutive model can be used to study various boundary value problems involving rubber-toughened (porous) glassy polymers. As an example, the case of an axisymmetric notched bar is simulated for the case of polycarbonate with varying levels of initial porosity. The quality of the constitutive model calibration is assessed using a multi-scale modeling approach.     

Visco-plastic constitutive modeling on Ohno-Wang kinematic hardening rule for uniaxial ratcheting behavior of Z2CND18.12N steel

Experimental results of monotonic uniaxial tensile tests at different strain rates and the reversed strain cycling test showed the characteristics of rate-dependence and cyclic hardening of Z2CND18.12N austenitic stainless steel at room temperature, respectively. Based on the Ohno-Wang kinematic hardening rule, a visco-plastic constitutive model incorporated with isotropic hardening was developed to describe the uniaxial ratcheting behavior of Z2CND18.12N steel under various stress-controlled loading conditions. Predicted results of the developed model agreed better with experimental results when the ratcheting strain level became higher, but the developed model overestimated the ratcheting deformation in other cases. A modified model was proposed to improve the prediction accuracy. In the modified model, the parameter m_i of the Ohno-Wang kinematic hardening rule was developed to evolve with the accumulated plastic strain. Simulation results of the modified model proved much better agreement with experiments.     

Strain localization analysis using a large deformation anisotropic elastic–plastic model coupled with damage

Sheet metal forming processes generally involve large deformations together with complex loading sequences. In order to improve numerical simulation predictions of sheet part forming, physically-based constitutive models are often required. The main objective of this paper is to analyze the strain localization phenomenon during the plastic deformation of sheet metals in the context of such advanced constitutive models. Most often, an accurate prediction of localization requires damage to be considered in the finite element simulation. For this purpose, an advanced, anisotropic elastic–plastic model, formulated within the large strain framework and taking strain-path changes into account, has been coupled with an isotropic damage model. This coupling is carried out within the framework of continuum damage mechanics. In order to detect the strain localization during sheet metal forming, Rice’s localization criterion has been considered, thus predicting the limit strains at the occurrence of shear bands as well as their orientation. The coupled elastic–plastic-damage model has been implemented in Abaqus/implicit. The application of the model to the prediction of Forming Limit Diagrams (FLDs) provided results that are consistent with the literature and emphasized the impact of the hardening model on the strain-path dependency of the FLD. The fully three-dimensional formulation adopted in the numerical development allowed for some new results – e.g. the out-of-plane orientation of the normal to the localization band, as well as more realistic values for its in-plane orientation.     

Effects of superimposed hydrostatic pressure on sheet metal formability

The effect of superimposed hydrostatic pressure on sheet metal formability is studied analytically and numerically. A tensile sample of power-law hardening material under superimposed hydrostatic pressure is first analyzed using the classical isotropic plasticity theory. It is demonstrated that the superimposed hydrostatic pressure p lowers the true tensile stress level at yielding by the amount of p, while material work-hardening is independent of p. It is showed, based on the Considère criterion, that the superimposed hydrostatic pressure increases the uniform strain. The effect of superimposed hydrostatic pressure on sheet metal formability is further assessed by constructing the Forming Limit Diagram (FLD) based on the M-K approach. It is found that the superimposed pressure delays the initiation of necking for any strain path. The difference in predicted FLDs between the superimposed hydrostatic pressure and the stress component normal to the sheet plane is demonstrated. Finally, the effect of superimposed hydrostatic pressure on fracture in round bars under tension is studied numerically using the finite element method, based on the Gurson damage model. The experimentally observed transition of the fracture surface, from the cup-cone mode under atmospheric pressure to a slant structure under high pressure, is numerically reproduced.