Numerical simulation of plastic deformation and damage accumulation in structural materials under various low-cycle loading conditions

This paper presents the results of a finite-element study of elastic-plastic deformation and damage accumulation in structural materials under various cyclic loading conditions. Material behavior is described by the relations of damage mechanics using thermoplastic model which takes into account the plastic deformation of material under cyclic loading and the kinetic equations of the energy theory of damage accumulation. The basic laws of plastic deformation and development of damage in materials under hard, soft, symmetric, and asymmetric low-cycle loading are established.