A constitutive model for carbon black filled rubber: Experimental investigations and mathematical representation

Abspract The stress-strain behavior of carbon black filled rubber is recognized to be nonlinearly elastic in its main part (see e.g. Gent [1]). In addition, inelastic effects occur under monotonic and cyclic processes. The inelastic behavior includes nonlinear rate dependence as well as equilibrium hysteresis. Moreover, the first periods of a stress-strain curve differ significantly from the shape of subsequent cycles; a characteristic feature, which is called the Mullins effect, because it has been pointed out by Mullins [2]. All inelastic phenomena are strongly influenced by the volume fraction of the filler particles (see e.g. Payne [3], So and Chen [4], Meinecke and Taftaf [5]).The aim of the present paper is to design a constitutive model, representing this kind of material behavior as a phenomenological theory of continuum mechanics. In order to motivate the basic structure of the constitutive theory, a series of uniaxial experiments between 100% in tension and 30% in compression are presented and analyzed. First of all, monotonic strain controlled experiments show the nonlinear rate dependence of the stress response. Then, a series of inserted relaxation periods at constant strain yields the monotonic equilibrium stress-strain curve, which is strongly nonlinear and unsymmetric with respect to the origin. Finally, cyclic experiments under strain control display pronounced hysteresis behavior. The hysteresis effects are mainly rate dependent, but there exists also a weak equilibrium hysteresis (compare to similar observations of Orschall and Peeken [6]). The Mullins effect corresponds to a softening phenomenon during the first few cycles. By means of an appropriate preprocess, this effect was excluded during the above experiments. Apart from the Mullins effect, neither hardening nor significant softening phenomena were observed in the context of cyclic loadings.These results motivate the structure of a constitutive model of finite strain viscoplasticity: The total stress is decomposed into an equilibrium stress and an overstress, where the overstress is a rate dependent functional of the strain history. The overstress represents the rate dependence of the material behavior and tends asymptotically to zero during relaxation processes. The nonlinearity of the rate dependence is incorporated by means of a stress dependent relaxation time. The equilibrium stress is assumed to be a rate independent functional of the strain history. For this quantity, we make use of an arclength representation, which was originally introduced by Valanis [7]. In case of vanishing equilibrium hysteresis and vanishing rate dependence our constitutive model reduces to finite strain hyperelasticity, which is the first approximation of the constitutive properties. In more general cases the main shape of a stress-strain curve is determined by hyperelasticity, superimposed by rate dependent and equilibrium hysteresis. The representation of the Mullins effect is incorporated by a continuum damage model.Some numerical simulations at the end of the paper demonstrate that the presented theory is able to represent the observed phenomena qualitatively and quantitatively with sufficient approximation.     

Modeling deformation behavior of polymers with viscoplasticity theory based on overstress

The nonlinear strain rate sensitivity, multiple creep and recovery behavior of polyphenylene oxide (PPO), which were explored through strain rate-controlled experiments at ambient temperature by Khan [The deformation behavior of solid polymers and modeling with the viscoplasticity theory based overstress, Ph.D. Thesis, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York], are modeled using the modified viscoplasticity theory based on overstress (VBO). In addition, VBO used by Krempl and Ho [An overstress model for solid polymer deformation behavior applied to Nylon 66, ASTM STP 1357, 2000, p. 118] and the classical VBO are used to demonstrate the improved modeling capabilities of VBO for solid polymer deformation. The unified model (VBO) has two tensor valued state variables, the equilibrium and kinematic stresses and two scalar valued states variables, drag and isotropic stresses. The simulations include monotonic loading and unloading at various strain rates, multiple creep and recovery at zero stress. Since creep behavior has been found to be profoundly influenced by the level of the stress, the tests are performed at different stresses above and below the yield point. Numerical results are compared to experimental data. It is shown that nonlinear rate sensitivity, nonlinear unloading, creep and recovery at zero stress can be reproduced using the modified viscoplasticity theory based on overstress.     

A constitutive model of cyclic plasticity

This paper addresses a constitutive model of cyclic plasticity with special emphasis on the yield-point phenomena. In order to point out the deformation characteristics of a mild steel, four types of experiments were conducted, i.e. uniaxial tension at several crosshead speeds, cyclic straining, and stress- and strain-controlled ratchetting. A viscoplastic constitutive model of cyclic plasticity is proposed on the premise that the phenomena of sharp yield point and the subsequent abrupt yield drop result from rapid dislocation multiplication and the stress-dependence of dislocation velocity. Besides, cyclic plasticity behavior, such as the Bauschinger effect, cyclic hardening/softening characteristics and ratchet-strain accumulation, is described by some kinematic and isotropic hardening rules. The cyclic stress–strain responses predicted by this model agree well with the corresponding experimental results.     

Effect of the rate dependence of nonlinear kinematic hardening rule on relaxation behavior

Relaxation experiments for metallic materials and solid polymers have exhibited nonlinear dependence of stress relaxation on prior loading rate; the relaxed stress associated with the fastest prior strain rate has the smallest magnitude at the end of the same relaxation periods. Modeling capability for the basic feature of relaxation behavior is qualitatively investigated in the context of unified state variable theory. Unified constitutive models are categorized into three general classes according to the rate dependence of kinematic hardening rule, which defines the evolution of the back (equilibrium) stress and is the major difference among constitutive models. The first class of models adopts the nonlinear kinematic hardening rule proposed by Armstrong and Frederick. In this class, the back stress appears to be rate-independent under loading and subsequent relaxation conditions. In the second class of models, a stress rate term is incorporated into the Armstrong–Frederick rule and the back stress then becomes rate-dependent during relaxation condition even though it remains rate-independent under loading condition. The final class proposed here includes a new nonlinear kinematic hardening rule that causes the back stress to be rate-dependent all the time. It is shown that the apparent rate dependence of the back stress during relaxation enables constitutive models to predict the influence of prior loading rate on relaxation behavior.     

Nonlinear dependence of viscosity in modeling the rate-dependent response of natural and high damping rubbers in compression and shear: Experimental identification and numerical verification

The rate-dependent behavior of filled natural rubber (NR) and high damping rubber (HDR) is investigated in compression and shear regimes. In order to describe the viscosity-induced rate-dependent effects, a constitutive model of finite strain viscoelasticity founded on the basis of the multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient tensor into elastic and inelastic parts is proposed. The total stress is decomposed into an equilibrium stress and a viscosity-induced overstress by following the concept of the Zener model. To identify the constitutive equation for the viscosity from direct experimental observations, an analytical scheme that ascertains the fundamental relation between the inelastic strain rate and the overstress tensor of the Mandel type by evaluating simple relaxation test results is proposed. Evaluation of the experimental results using the proposed analytical scheme confirms the necessity of considering both the current overstress and the current deformation as variables to describe the evolution of the rate-dependent phenomena. Based on this experimentally based motivation, an evolution equation using power laws is proposed to represent the effects of internal variables on viscosity phenomena. The proposed evolution equation has been incorporated in the finite strain viscoelasticity model in a thermodynamically consistent way. Simulation results for simple relaxation tests, multi-step relaxation tests and monotonic tests at different strain rates using the developed model show an encouraging correlation with the experiments conducted on HDR and NR in both compression and shear regimes. Finally, an approach to extend the proposed evolution equation for rate-dependent cyclic processes is proposed. The simulation results are critically compared with the experiments.     

Anisotropic plasticity model coupled with Lode angle dependent strain-induced transformation kinetics law

A phenomenological macroscopic plasticity model is developed for steels that exhibit strain-induced austenite-to-martensite transformation. The model makes use of a stress-state dependent transformation kinetics law that accounts for both the effects of the stress triaxiality and the Lode angle on the rate of transformation. The macroscopic strain hardening is due to nonlinear kinematic hardening as well as isotropic hardening. The latter contribution is assumed to depend on the dislocation density as well as the current martensite volume fraction. The constitutive equations are embedded in the framework of finite strain isothermal rate-independent anisotropic plasticity. Experimental data for an anisotropic austenitic stainless steel 301LN is presented for uniaxial tension, uniaxial compression, transverse plane strain tension and pure shear. The model parameters are identified using a combined analytical–numerical approach. Numerical simulations are performed of all calibration experiments and excellent agreement is observed. Moreover, we make use of experimental data from ten combined tension and shear experiments to validate the proposed constitutive model. In addition, punch and notched tension tests are performed to evaluate the model performance in structural applications with heterogeneous stress and strain fields.     

Stress integration method for a nonlinear kinematic/isotropic hardening model and its characterization based on polycrystal plasticity

Sheet metal forming processes generally involve non-proportional strain paths including springback, leading to the Bauschinger effect, transient hardening, and permanent softening behavior, that can be possibly modeled by kinematic hardening laws. In this work, a stress integration procedure based on the backward-Euler method was newly derived for a nonlinear combined isotropic/kinematic hardening model based on the two-yield’s surfaces approach. The backward-Euler method can be combined with general non-quadratic anisotropic yield functions and thus it can predict accurately the behavior of aluminum alloy sheets for sheet metal forming processes. In order to characterize the material coefficients, including the Bauschinger ratio for the kinematic hardening model, one element tension–compression simulations were newly tried based on a polycrystal plasticity approach, which compensates extensive tension and compression experiments. The developed model was applied for a springback prediction of the NUMISHEET’93 2D draw bend benchmark example.     

A strain space nonlinear kinematic hardening/softening plasticity model

A strain space plasticity theory based on the nonlinear kinematic hardening and softening rule is developed in order to accommodate work-hardening, work-softening, and elastic-perfectly plastic materials with one set of constitutive equations, and to facilitate strain controlled calculations. A generalized hardening/softening parameter is proposed, and the potential of linking the parameter to micro-mechanical material changes is discussed. The theory is used to investigate work-softening materials numerically and highlights a need for additional experimental results in this area.     

Benchmark experiments and characteristic cyclic plasticity deformation

Key issues in cyclic plasticity modeling are discussed based upon representative experimental observations on several commonly used engineering materials. Cyclic plasticity is characterized by the Bauschinger effect, cyclic hardening/softening, strain range effect, nonproporitonal hardening, and strain ratcheting. Additional hardening is identified to associate with ratcheting rate decay. Proper modeling requires a clear distinction among different types of cyclic plasticity behavior. Cyclic hardening/softening sustains dependent on the loading amplitude and loading history. Strain range effect is common for most engineering metallic materials. Often, nonproportional hardening is accompanied by cyclic hardening, as being observed on stainless steels and pure copper. A clarification of the two types of material behavior can be made through benchmark experiments and modeling technique. Ratcheting rate decay is a common observation on a number of materials and it often follows a power law relationship with the number of loading cycles under the constant amplitude stress controlled condition. Benchmark experiments can be used to explore the different cyclic plasticity properties of the materials. Discussions about proper modeling are based on the typical cyclic plasticity phenomena obtained from testing several engineering materials under various uniaxial and multiaxial cyclic loading conditions. Sufficient experimental evidence points to the unambiguous conclusion that none of the hardening phenomena (cyclic hardening/softening, strain range effect, nonproportional hardening, and strain hardening associated with ratcheting rate decay) is isotropic in nature. None of the hardening behavior can be properly modeled with a change in the yield stress.     

A non-linear uniaxial integral constitutive equation incorporating rate effects,creep and relaxation

A previously proposed first order non-linear differential equation for uniaxial viscoplasticity, which is non-linear in stress and strain but linear in stress and strain rates, is transformed into an equivalent integral equation. The proposed equation employs total strain only and is symmetric with respect to the origin and applies for tension and compression. The limiting behavior for large strains and large times for monotonic, creep and relaxation loading is investigated and appropriate limits are obtained. When the equation is specialized to an overstress model it is qualitatively shown to reproduce key features of viscoplastic behavior. These include: initial linear elastic or linear viscoelastic response: immediate elastic slope for a large instantaneous change in strain rate normal strain rate sensitivity and non-linear spacing of the stress-strain curves obtained at various strain rates; and primary and secondary creep and relaxation such that the creep (relaxation) curves do not cross. Isochronous creep curves are also considered. Other specializations yield wavy stress-strain curves and inverse strain rate sensitivity. For cyclic loading the model must be modified to account for history dependence in the sense of plasticity.     

On stress relaxation, creep, and plastic flow

Recently the author published a time-dependent theory of plasticity including recovery which treats creep strain and plastic strain as mathematically indistinguishable. After presenting a sketch of this theory, we establish the differential equation of low-temperature stress relaxation on the basis of a Mises-type material with kinematic hardening. Then we discuss high-temperature transient creep, steady-state creep, and Norton's rule results as an approximation with Sherby's exponent n = 5.     

Theory of creep deformation with kinematic hardening for materials with different properties in tension and compression

A constitutive model for creep deformation that describes the loading-history-dependent behavior of initially isotropic materials with different properties in tension and compression under stress vector rotations limited by 50–60° is presented within a thermodynamic framework. In the proposed constitutive model a kinematic hardening rule is adopted. This model also introduces an effective equivalent stress in the creep potential that is based on the first and second invariants of the effective stress tensor, and on the joint invariant of the effective stress tensor and eigenvector associated with the maximum principal Cauchy stress. The formulation of the kinematic hardening rule is presented and discussed. All the material parameters in the model have been obtained from a series of proposed basic experiments with constant stresses. These model parameters are then used to predict the creep deformation of the aluminum alloy under multiaxial loading with constant stresses, and under non-proportional uniaxial and non-proportional multiaxial loadings for both isothermal and nonisothermal processes.     

Creep,plasticity, and fatigue of single crystal superalloy

Single crystal components in gas turbine engines are subject to such extreme temperatures and stresses that life prediction becomes highly inaccurate resulting in components that can only be shown to meet their requirements through experience. Reliable life prediction methodologies are required both for design and life management. In order to address this issue we have developed a thermo-viscoplastic constitutive model for single crystal materials. Our incremental large strain formulation additively decomposes the inelastic strain rate into components along the octahedral and cubic slip planes. We have developed a crystallographic-based creep constitutive model able to predict sigmoidal creep behavior of Ni base superalloys. Inelastic shear rate along each slip system is expressed as a sum of a time dependent creep component and a rate independent plastic component. We develop a new robust, computationally efficient rate-independent crystal plasticity approach and combined it with creep flow rule calibrated for Ni-based superalloys. The transient variation of each of the inelastic components includes a back stress for kinematic hardening and latent hardening parameters to account for the stress evolution with inelastic strain as well as the evolution for dislocation densities. The complete formulation accurately predicts both monotonic and cyclic tests at different crystallographic orientations for constant and variable temperature conditions (low cycle fatigue (LCF) and thermo-mechanical fatigue (TMF) tests). Based on the test and modeling results we formulate a new life prediction criterion suitable for both LCF and TMF conditions.     

Finite deformation of a polymer: experiments and modeling

The response of a polymer (polytetrafluoroethylene) to quasi-static and dynamic loading is determined and modeled. The polytetrafluoroethylene is extremely ductile and highly nonlinear in elastic as well as plastic behaviors including elastic unloading. Constitutive model developed earlier by Khan, Huang and Liang (KHL) is extended to include the responses of polymeric materials. The strain rate hardening, creep, and relaxation behaviors of polytetrafluoroethylene were determined through extensive experimental study. Based on the observation that both viscoelastic and viscoplastic deformation of polytetrafluoroethylene are time dependent and nonlinear, a phenomenalogical viscoelasto–plastic constitutive model is presented by a series connection of a viscoelastic deformation module (represented by three elements standard solid spring dashpot model), and a viscoplastic deformation module represented by KHL model. The KHL module is affected only when the stress exceeds the initial yield stress. The comparison between the predictions from the extended model and experimental data for uniaxial static and dynamic compression, creep and relaxation demonstrate that the proposed constitutive model is able to represent the observed time dependent mechanical behavior of polytetrafluoroethylene polytetrafluoroethylene qualitatively and quantitatively.     

循环硬化材料本构模型的隐式应力积分和有限元实现

针对新发展的、能够描述循环硬化行为应变幅值依赖性的粘塑性本构模型,讨论了它的数值实现方法。首先,为了能够对材料的循环棘轮行为（Ratcheting）和循环应力松弛现象进行描述,对已有的本构模型进行了改进;然后,在改进模型的基础上,建立了一个新的、全隐式应力积分算法,进而推导了相应的一致切线刚度（Consistent Tangent Modulus）矩阵的表达式;最后,通过ABAQUS用户材料子程序UMAT将上述本构模型进行了有限元实现,并通过一些算例对一些构件的循环变形行为进行了有限元数值模拟,讨论了该类本构模型有限元实现的必要性和合理性。     

Constitutive relation for rheological processes: Properties of theoretic creep curves and simulation of memory decay

We study the nonlinear stress-strain constitutive relation proposed earlier for describing one-dimensional isothermal rheological processes in the case of monotonous variation of the strain (in particular, viscoplasticity, creep, relaxation, plasticity, and superplasticity). This relation contains integral time operators of the strain and strain rate, which are the norms in the Lebesgue and Sobolev spaces equipped with special weight factors, one material function, and nine material parameters determined by the results of tests of the material for relaxation, creep, long-term strength, and constant-rate strain.We analytically inverse the constitutive relation and study the properties of the inverse operator. We derive the equation of creep curves corresponding to an arbitrary law of loading at the stage of passing from the zero stress to a given constant level. We study their dependence on the material parameters and the loading stage characteristics and find restrictions on the material parameters which ensure that the asymptotic behavior of the creep curves for large times is independent of the length of the loading stage and the specific law of stress variation during this stage, i.e., we find the conditions of the model memory decay in creep. Thus we have proved that the constitutive relation proposed above can adequately model both creep and the effect of the material memory decay.     

Strain-rate effects in rheological models of inelastic response

Stress–strain response under constant and variable strain-rate is studied for selected models of inelastic behavior. The derived closed-form solutions for uniaxial loading enable simple evaluation of the strain-rate effects on the material response. The effect of an abrupt change of strain-rate is also examined. Non-Newtonian viscosity which decreases with an increasing strain-rate is incorporated in the analysis. Parabolic and hyperbolic hardening are used to describe the plastic response in monotonic loading. A three-dimensional generalization of an elastic–viscoplastic model is employed to study the stress relaxation in simple shear. A combined isotropic–kinematic hardening and the concept of overstress are used in the analysis. The unloading nonlinearity of the stress–strain curve is then discussed.     

Phenomenological nonlinear modelling of glassy polymers

Compared with the numerous works into the constitutive equations for the mechanical behaviour of metals, very little attention has been devoted to those of polymers. However, a model is required to describe both the complex shape of the stress–strain curves and strain rate sensitivity of glassy polymers. In this Note, a unified viscoelastic-viscoplastic model is presented in which the nonlinear pre-yield behaviour, the strain softening and the strain hardening are described by internal variables, in analogy with the models developed for metals. In order to check the predictive capability of the model, the numerical results are compared with the experimental data (monotone, creep and relaxation tests) of a typical amorphous glassy polymer. To cite this article: F. Zaïri et al., C. R. Mecanique 333 (2005).     

Constitutive modeling of cyclic plasticity deformation of a pure polycrystalline copper

Cyclic plasticity experiments were conducted on a pure polycrystalline copper and the material was found to display significant cyclic hardening and nonproportional hardening. An effort was made to describe the cyclic plasticity behavior of the material. The model is based on the framework using a yield surface together with the Armstrong–Frederick type kinematic hardening rule. No isotropic hardening is considered and the yield stress is assumed to be a constant. The backstress is decomposed into additive parts with each part following the Armstrong–Frederick type hardening rule. A memory surface in the plastic strain space is used to account for the strain range effect. The Tanaka fourth order tensor is used to characterize nonproportional loading. A set of material parameters in the hardening rules are related to the strain memory surface size and they are used to capture the strain range effect and the dependence of cyclic hardening and nonproportional hardening on the loading magnitude. The constitutive model can describe well the transient behavior during cyclic hardening and nonproportional hardening of the polycrystalline copper. Modeling of long-term ratcheting deformation is a difficult task and further investigations are required.