Verification of the transferability of micromechanical parameters by cell model calculations with visco-plastic materials

Finite element (FE) calculations of a cylindrical cell containing a spherical hole have been performed under large strain conditions for varying triaxiality with three different constitutive models for the matrix material, i.e. rate independent plastic material with isotropic hardening, visco-plastic material under both isothermal and adiabatic conditions, and porous plastic material with a second population of voids nucleating strain controlled. The “mesoscopic” stress-strain and void growth responses of the cell are compared with predictions of the modified Gurson model in order to study the effects of varying triaxiality and strain rate on the critical void volume fraction. The interaction of two different sizes of voids was modelled by changing the strain level for nucleation and the stress triaxiality. The study confirms that the void volume fraction at void coalescence does not depend significantly on the triaxiality if the initial volume fraction of the primary voids is small and if there are no secondary voids. The strain rate does not affect f_c either. The results also indicate that a single internal variable, f, is not sufficient to characterize the fracture processes in materials containing two different size-scales of void nucleating particles.     

Dynamic void nucleation and growth in solids: A self-consistent statistical theory

We present a framework for a self-consistent theory of spall fracture in ductile materials, based on the dynamics of void nucleation and growth. The constitutive model for the material is divided into elastic and “plastic” parts, where the elastic part represents the volumetric response of a porous elastic material, and the “plastic” part is generated by a collection of representative volume elements (RVEs) of incompressible material. Each RVE is a thick-walled spherical shell, whose average porosity is the same as that of the surrounding porous continuum, thus simulating void interaction through the resulting lowered resistance to further void growth. All voids nucleate and grow according to the appropriate dynamics for a thick-walled sphere made of incompressible material. The macroscopic spherical stress in the material drives the response in all volume elements, which have a distribution of critical stresses for void nucleation, and the statistically weighted sum of the void volumes of all RVEs generates the global porosity. Thus, macroscopic pressure, porosity, and a distribution of growing microscopic voids are fully coupled dynamically. An example is given for a rate-independent, perfectly plastic material. The dynamics of void growth gives rise to a rate effect in the macroscopic material even though the parent material is rate independent.     

Void growth and coalescence in single crystals

Void growth and coalescence in single crystals are investigated using crystal plasticity based 3D finite element calculations. A unit cell involving a single spherical void and fully periodic boundary conditions is deformed under constant macroscopic stress triaxiality. Simulations are performed for different values of the stress triaxiality, for different crystal orientations, and for low and high work-hardening capacity. Under low stress triaxiality, the void shape evolution, void growth, and strain at the onset of coalescence are strongly dependent on the crystal orientation, while under high stress triaxiality, only the void growth rate is affected by the crystal orientation. These effects lead to significant variations in the ductility defined as the strain at the onset of coalescence. An attempt is made to predict the onset of coalescence using two different versions of the Thomason void coalescence criterion, initially developed in the framework of isotropic perfect plasticity. The first version is based on a mean effective yield stress of the matrix and involves a fitting parameter to properly take into account material strain hardening. The second version of the Thomason criterion is based on a local value of the effective yield stress in the ligament between the voids, with no fitting parameter. The first version is accurate to within 20% relative error for most cases, and often more accurate. The second version provides the same level of accuracy except for one crystal orientation. Such a predictive coalescence criterion constitutes an important ingredient towards the development of a full constitutive model for porous single crystals.     

Constitutive equations for porous plane-strain gradient elasticity obtained by homogenization

This paper addresses the problem of plane-strain gradient elasticity models derived by higher-order homogenization. A microstructure that consists of cylindrical voids surrounded by a linear elastic matrix material is considered. Both plane-stress and plane-strain conditions are assumed and the homogenization is performed by means of a cylindrical representative volume element (RVE) subjected to quadratic boundary displacements. The constitutive equations for the equivalent medium at the macroscale are obtained analytically by means of the Airy’s stress function in conjunction with Fourier series. Furthermore, a failure criterion based on the maximum hoop stress on the void surface is formulated. A mixed finite-element formulation has been implemented into the commercial finite-element program Abaqus. Using the constitutive relations derived, numerical simulations were performed in order to compute the stress concentration at a hole with varying parameters of the constitutive equations. The results predicted by the model are discussed in comparison with the results of the theory of simple materials.     

A constitutive model for elastoplastic solids containing primary and secondary voids

In many ductile metallic alloys, the damage process controlled by the growth and coalescence of primary voids nucleated on particles with a size varying typically between 1 and 100 μm, is affected by the growth of much smaller secondary voids nucleated on inclusions with a size varying typically between 0.1 and 3 μm. The goal of this work is first to quantify the potential effect of the growth of these secondary voids on the coalescence of primary voids using finite element (FE) unit cell calculations and second to formulate a new constitutive model incorporating this effect. The nucleation and growth of secondary voids do essentially not affect the growth of the primary voids but mainly accelerate the void coalescence process. The drop of the ductility caused by the presence of secondary voids increases if the nucleation strain decreases and/or if their volume fraction increases and/or if the primary voids are flat. A strong coupling is indeed observed between the shape of the primary voids and the growth of the second population enhancing the anisotropy of the ductility induced by void shape effects. The new micromechanics-based coalescence condition for internal necking introduces the softening induced by secondary voids growing in the ligament between two primary voids. The FE cell calculations were used to guide and assess the development of this model. The use of the coalescence condition relies on a closed-form model for estimating the evolution of the secondary voids in the vicinity of a primary cavity. This coalescence criterion is connected to an extended Gurson model for the first population including the effect of the void aspect ratio. With respect to classical models for single void population, this new constitutive model improves the predictive potential of damage constitutive models devoted to ductile metal while requiring only two new parameters, i.e. the initial porosity of second population and a void nucleation stress, without any additional adjustment.     

Modeling of crack growth in ductile solids: a three-dimensional analysis

A population of several spherical voids is included in a three-dimensional, small scale yielding model. Two distinct void growth mechanisms, put forth by [Int. J. Solids Struct. 39 (2002) 3581] for the case of a two-dimensional model containing cylindrical voids, are well contained in the model developed in this study for spherical voids. A material failure criterion, based on the occurrence of void coalescence in the unit cell model, is established. The critical ligament reduction ratio, which varies with stress triaxiality and initial porosity, is used to determine ligament failure between the crack tip and the nearest void. A comparison of crack initiation toughness of the model containing cylindrical voids with the model containing spherical voids reveals that the material having a sizeable fraction of spherical voids is tougher than the material having cylindrical voids. The proposed material failure determination method is then used to establish the fracture resistance curve (J–R curve) of the material. For a ductile material containing a small volume fraction of microscopic voids initially, the void by void growth mechanism prevails, which results in a J–R curve having steep slope. On the other hand, for a ductile material containing a large volume fraction of initial voids, the multiple voids interaction mechanism prevails, which results in a flat J–R curve. Next, the effect of T-stress on fracture resistance is examined. Finally, nucleation and growth of secondary microvoids and their effects on void coalescence are briefly discussed.     

三轴应力场中不同形状孔洞的长大及其新模型

对不同形状孔洞在从光滑试样到裂纹试样这样广泛三轴应力场中的长大规律,本文通过控制体胞宏观应力三维度的方法进行了精确的有限元分析,计算结果表明：（1）孔洞的体积改变和形状变化是孔洞演化的两种基本机制,在不同的三轴应力场中,这两种机制的作用不同;（2）现有模型对孔洞长大规律的描述是不准确的,由它们得到的临界孔洞扩张比参数HGC与临界孔洞体积分数fc不具备一一对应关系,因此不以很好地反映也洞的实际扩张。在此基础上,提出了一个描述孔洞长大的新模型,与四种常用的现有模型相比,该模型不仅能更好地描述不同三轴应力场中孔洞的长大,而且能反映不同应力三维度水平下材料破坏模式的变化。     

Modeling of ductile fracture: Application of the mechanism-based concepts

This paper summarizes our recent studies on modeling ductile fracture in structural materials using the mechanism-based concepts. We describe two numerical approaches to model the material failure process by void growth and coalescence. In the first approach, voids are considered explicitly and modeled using refined finite elements. In order to predict crack initiation and propagation, a void coalescence criterion is established by conducting a series of systematic finite element analyses of the void-containing, representative material volume (RMV) subjected to different macroscopic stress states and expressed as a function of the stress triaxiality ratio and the Lode angle. The discrete void approach provides a straightforward way for studying the effects of microstructure on fracture toughness. In the second approach, the void-containing material is considered as a homogenized continuum governed by porous plasticity models. This makes it possible to simulate large amount of crack extension because only one element is needed for a representative material volume. As an example, a numerical approach is proposed to predict ductile crack growth in thin panels of a 2024-T3 aluminum alloy, where a modified Gologanu–Leblond–Devaux model [Gologanu, M., Leblond, J.B., Devaux, J., 1993. Approximate models for ductile metals containing nonspherical voids – Case of axisymmetric prolate ellipsoidal cavities. J. Mech. Phys. Solids 41, 1723–1754; Gologanu, M., Leblond, J.B., Devaux, J., 1994. Approximate models for ductile metals containing nonspherical voids – Case of axisymmetric oblate ellipsoidal cavities. J. Eng. Mater. Tech. 116, 290–297; Gologanu, M., Leblond, J.B., Perrin, G., Devaux, J., 1995. Recent extensions of Gurson’s model for porous ductile metals. In: Suquet, P. (Ed.) Continuum Micromechanics. Springer-Verlag, pp. 61–130] is used to describe the evolution of void shape and void volume fraction and the associated material softening, and the material failure criterion is calibrated using experimental data. The calibrated computational model successfully predicts crack extension in various fracture specimens, including the compact tension specimen, middle crack tension specimens, multi-site damage specimens and the pressurized cylindrical shell specimen.     

Continuum modeling of a porous solid with pressure-sensitive dilatant matrix

The pressure-sensitive plastic response of a material has been studied in terms of the intrinsic sensitivity of its yield stress to pressure and the presence and growth of cavities. This work focuses on the interplay between these two distinctly different mechanisms and the attendant material behavior. To this end, a constitutive model is proposed taking both mechanisms into account. Using Gurson's homogenization, an upper bound model is developed for a voided solid with a plastically dilatant matrix material. This model is built around a three-parameter axisymmetric velocity field for a unit sphere containing a spherical void. The void is also subjected to internal pressure; this can be relevant for polymeric adhesives permeated by moisture that vaporizes at elevated temperatures. The plastic response of the matrix material is described by Drucker–Prager's yield criterion and an associated flow rule. The resulting yield surface and porosity evolution law of the homogenized constitutive model are presented in parametric form. Using the solutions to special cases as building blocks, approximate models with explicit forms are proposed. The parametric form and an approximate explicit form are compared against full-field solutions obtained from finite element analysis. They are also studied for loading under generalized tension conditions. These computational simulations shed light on the interplay between the two mechanisms and its enhanced effect on yield strength and plastic flow. Among other things, the tensile yield strength of the porous solid is greatly reduced by the internal void pressure, particularly when a liquid/vapor phase is the source of the internal pressure.     

Strain gradient crystal plasticity analysis of a single crystal containing a cylindrical void

The effects of void size and hardening in a hexagonal close-packed single crystal containing a cylindrical void loaded by a far-field equibiaxial tensile stress under plane strain conditions are studied. The crystal has three in-plane slip systems oriented at the angle 60° with respect to one another. Finite element simulations are performed using a strain gradient crystal plasticity formulation with an intrinsic length scale parameter in a non-local strain gradient constitutive framework. For a vanishing length scale parameter the non-local formulation reduces to a local crystal plasticity formulation. The stress and deformation fields obtained with a local non-hardening constitutive formulation are compared to those obtained from a local hardening formulation and to those from a non-local formulation. Compared to the case of the non-hardening local constitutive formulation, it is shown that a local theory with hardening has only minor effects on the deformation field around the void, whereas a significant difference is obtained with the non-local constitutive relation. Finally, it is shown that the applied stress state required to activate plastic deformation at the void is up to three times higher for smaller void sizes than for larger void sizes in the non-local material.     

考虑微缺陷形状的细片层状珠光体钢的损伤本构模型

基于非经典塑性理论和连续介质损伤力学,利用在一个特殊坐标系下基于椭球形孔洞模型得到的可考虑孔洞形状变化混合强化材料的损伤演化率得到了铁素体相的损伤本构方程,通过混合物理论利用铁素体和渗碳体相各自本构关系并考虑其几何特征得到了珠光体团的损伤本构模型。进而采用Hill自洽方法,得到了珠光体材料的宏观损伤本构描述,发展了相应的数值方法与程序。讨论了孔洞形状对材料损伤的影响,并对典型珠光体双相材料BS11在非对称循环加载史下的弹塑性响应特性进行了分析,得到了与实验较为一致的结果。     

Influences of initial porosity,stress triaxiality and Lode parameter on plastic deformation and ductile fracture

Local mechanical properties in aluminum cast components are inhomogeneous as a consequence of spatial distribution of microstructure,e.g.,porosity,inclusions,grain size and arm spacing of secondary dendrites.In this work,the effect of porosity is investigated.Cast components contain voids with different sizes,forms,orientations and distributions.This is approximated by a porosity distribution in the following.The aim of this paper is to investigate the influence of initial porosity,stress triaxiality and Lode parameter on plastic deformation and ductile fracture.A micromechanical model with a spherical void located at the center of the matrix material,called the representative volume element(RVE),is developed.Fully periodic boundary conditions are applied to the RVE and the values of stress triaxiality and Lode parameter are kept constant during the entire course of loading.For this purpose,a multi-point constraint(MPC)user subroutine is developed to prescribe the loading.The results of the RVE model are used to establish the constitutive equations and to further investigate the influences of initial porosity,stress triaxiality and Lode parameter on elastic constant,plastic deformation and ductile fracture of an aluminum die casting alloy.     

A new yield function and a hydrostatic stress-controlled void nucleation model for porous solids with pressure-sensitive matrices

A macroscopic yield function for porous solids with pressure-sensitive matrices modeled by Coulomb's yield function was obtained by generalizing Gurson's yield function with consideration of the hydrostatic yield stress of a spherical thick-walled shell and by fitting the finite element results of the yield stresses of a voided cube. The macroscopic yield function is valid for the negative hydrostatic stress as well as for the positive hydrostatic stress. From the yield function, a plastic potential function for the porous solids was derived either for plastic normality flow or for plastic non-normality flow of the pressure-sensitive matrices. In addition, void nucleation was modeled by a normal distribution function with the macroscopic hydrostatic stress regarded as a controlling stress. This set of constitutive relations was implemented into a finite element code abaqus as a user material subroutine to analyze the cavitation and the deformation behavior of a rubber-modified epoxy around a crack tip under the Mode I plane strain conditions. By comparing the cavitation zone and the plastic zone obtained in the analysis with those observed in an experiment, the mean stress and the standard deviation for the void nucleation model could be determined. The cavitation and the deformation behavior of the rubber-modified epoxy were also analyzed around notches under four-point bending. The size and shape of the cavitation zone and the plastic zone were shown to be in good agreement with those observed in an experiment.     

A constitutive model for plastically anisotropic solids with non-spherical voids

Plastic constitutive relations are derived for a class of anisotropic porous materials consisting of coaxial spheroidal voids, arbitrarily oriented relative to the embedding orthotropic matrix. The derivations are based on nonlinear homogenization, limit analysis and micromechanics. A variational principle is formulated for the yield criterion of the effective medium and specialized to a spheroidal representative volume element containing a confocal spheroidal void and subjected to uniform boundary deformation. To obtain closed form equations for the effective yield locus, approximations are introduced in the limit-analysis based on a restricted set of admissible microscopic velocity fields. Evolution laws are also derived for the microstructure, defined in terms of void volume fraction, aspect ratio and orientation, using material incompressibility and Eshelby-like concentration tensors. The new yield criterion is an extension of the well known isotropic Gurson model. It also extends previous analyses of uncoupled effects of void shape and material anisotropy on the effective plastic behavior of solids containing voids. Preliminary comparisons with finite element calculations of voided cells show that the model captures non-trivial effects of anisotropy heretofore not picked up by void growth models.     

Theoretical study of void closure in nonlinear plastic materials

Void closing from a spherical shape to a crack is investigated quantitatively in the present study. The constitutive relation of the Void-free matrix is assumed to obey the Norton power law. A representative volume element （RVE） which includes matrix and void is employed and a Rayleigh-Ritz procedure is developed to study the deformation-rates of a spherical void and a penny-shaped crack. Based on an approximate interpolation scheme, an analytical model for void closure in nonlinear plastic materials is established. It is found that the local plastic flows of the matrix material are the main mechanism of void deformation. It is also shown that the relative void volume during the deformation depends on the Norton exponent, on the far-field stress triaxiality, as well as on the far-field effective strain. The predictions of void closure using the present model are compared with the corresponding results in the literature, showing good agreement. The model for void closure provides a novel way for process design and optimization in terms of elimination of voids in billets because the model for void closure can easily be applied in the CAE analysis.     

Effect of stress triaxiality on porosity evolution in notched bars: Quantitative agreement between a recent dilatational model and X-ray tomography data

In this paper, it is shown that a micromechanically motivated macroscopic model can predict with accuracy the role of the stress state on void evolution in engineering materials. Specifically, a recent criterion that accounts for the influence of all stress invariants on the dilatational response of porous metals is used to predict porosity evolution and strength reduction in aluminum alloy AA 6016-T4. A very good quantitative agreement between the simulation results and X-ray tomography damage measurements in specimens of different notch acuities is obtained. In contrast to existing models, the void volume fraction evolution correlates very well with the X-ray data for all stress triaxialities.     

A hybrid finite element formulation for polycrystal plasticity with consideration of macrostructural and microstructural linking

A hybrid finite element formulation for the plastic deformation of FCC metals with anisotropy is outlined. Polycrystal plasticity theory is used to develop the constitutive response. The hybrid approach facilitates introduction of the microscale stress in the macroscopic statement of equilibrium. Convergence of the hybrid formulation is contrasted with that of a velocity-pressure formulation. It is demonstrated that the hybrid formulation is well suited for studies where significant spatial variations in constitutive response result from having only one, or a very few, crystal orientations represented in each finite element. A simulation of channel die compression is made with one crystal per finite element. The resulting texture evolution is compared with other texture evolution models and experimental data for cold rolled aluminum. It is demonstrated that the brass texture component, observed in the experimental data, is developed through shear deformations arising from grain-to-grain interactions.