Unit cell debonding analyses for arbitrary orientation of plastic anisotropy

Debonding of rigid inclusions embedded in the elastic–plastic aluminum alloy Al 2090-T3 is analyzed numerically using a unit cell model taking full account of finite strains. The cell is subjected to overall biaxial plane strain tension and periodical boundary conditions are applied to represent arbitrary orientations of plastic anisotropy. Plastic anisotropy is considered using two phenomenological anisotropic yield criteria, namely Hill [Proceedings of the Royal Society of London A 193 (1948) 281] and Barlat et al. [International Journal of Plasticity 7 (1991) 693]. For this material plastic anisotropy delays debonding compared to plastic isotropy except for the case of Hill’s yield function when the tensile directions coincided with the principal axes of anisotropy. For some inclinations of the principal axes of anisotropy relative to the tensile directions, the stress strain responses are identical but the deformation modes are mirror images of each other.