Restrictions on dynamically propagating surfaces of strong discontinuity in elastic-plastic solids

For dynamic three-dimensional deformations of elastic-plastic materials, we elicit conditions necessary for the existence of propagating surfaces of strong discontinuity (across which components of stress, strain or material velocity jump). This is accomplished within a small-displacement-gradient formulation of standard weak continuum-mechanical assumptions of momentum conservation and geometrical compatibility, and skeletal constitutive assumptions which permit very general elastic and plastic anisotropy including yield surface vertices and anisotropic hardening. In addition to deriving very explicit restrictions on propagating strong discontinuities in general deformations, we prove that for anti-plane strain and incompressible plane strain deformations, such strong discontinuities can exist only at elastic wave speeds in generally anisotropic elastic-ideally plastic materials unless a material's yield locus in stress space contains a linear segment. The results derived seem essential for correct and complete construction of solutions to dynamic elastic-plastic boundary-value problems.     

Compatibility conditions in the linear micropolar theory

Various representations of compatibility (continuity) conditions are obtained in terms of strain and bending-torsion tensors as well as in terms of stress and couple-stress tensors.     

Relations between twin and slip in parent lattice due to kinematic compatibility at interfaces

The relationships between a slip system in the parent lattice and its transform by twinning shear are considered in regards to tangential continuity conditions on the plastic distortion rate at twin/parent interface. These conditions are required at coherent interfaces like twin boundaries, which can be assigned zero surface-dislocation content. For two adjacent crystals undergoing single slip, relations between plastic slip rates, slip directions and glide planes are accordingly deduced. The fulfillment of these conditions is investigated in hexagonal lattices at the onset of twinning in a single slip deforming parent crystal. It is found that combinations of slip system and twin variant verifying the tangential continuity of the plastic distortion rate always exist. In all cases, the Burgers vector belongs to the interface. Certain twin modes are only admissible when slip occurs along an 〈a〉 direction of the hexagonal lattice, and some others only with a 〈c + a〉 slip. These predictions are in agreement with EBSD orientation measurements in commercially pure Ti sheets after plane strain compression.     

Size-dependent effective elastic moduli of particulate composites with interfacial displacement and traction discontinuities

This work aims at estimating the size-dependent effective elastic moduli of particulate composites in which both the interfacial displacement and traction discontinuities occur. To this end, the interfacial discontinuity relations derived from the replacement of a thin uniform interphase layer between two dissimilar materials by an imperfect interface are reformulated so as to considerably simplify the characteristic expressions of a general elastic imperfect model which is adopted in the present work and include the widely used Gurtin–Murdoch and spring-layer interface models as particular cases. The elastic fields in an infinite body made of a matrix containing an imperfectly bonded spherical particle and subjected to arbitrary remote uniform strain boundary conditions are then provided in an exact, coordinate-free and compact way. With the aid of these results, the elastic properties of a perfectly bonded spherical particle energetically equivalent to an imperfectly bonded one in an infinite matrix are determined. The estimates for the effective bulk and shear moduli of isotropic particulate composites are finally obtained by using the generalized self-consistent scheme and discussed through numerical examples.     

Couple stresses in crystalline solids: origins from plastic slip gradients, dislocation core distortions, and three-body interatomic potentials

In the presence of plastic slip gradients, compatibility requires gradients in elastic rotation and stretch tensors. In a crystal lattice the gradient in elastic rotation can be related to bond angle changes at cores of so-called geometrically necessary dislocations. The corresponding continuum strain energy density can be obtained from an interatomic potential that includes two- and three-body terms. The three-body terms induce restoring moments that lead to a couple stress tensor in the continuum limit. The resulting stress and couple stress jointly satisfy a balance law. Boundary conditions are obtained upon stress, couple stress, strain and strain gradient tensors. This higher-order continuum theory was formulated by Toupin (Arch. Ration. Mech. Anal. 11 (1962) 385). Toupin's theory has been extended in this work to incorporate constitutive relations for the stress and couple stress under multiplicative elastoplasticity. The higher-order continuum theory is exploited to solve a boundary value problem of relevance to single crystal and polycrystalline nano-devices. It is demonstrated that certain slip-dominated deformation mechanisms increase the compliance of nanostructures in bending-dominated situations. The significance of these ideas in the context of continuum plasticity models is also dwelt upon.     

Closed form solutions of Euler–Bernoulli beams with singularities

The problem of the integration of the static governing equations of the uniform Euler–Bernoulli beam with discontinuities is studied. In particular, two types of discontinuities have been considered: flexural stiffness and slope discontinuities. Both the above mentioned discontinuities have been modeled as singularities of the flexural stiffness by means of superimposition of suitable distributions (generalized functions) to a uniform one dimensional field. Closed form solutions of governing differential equation, requiring the knowledge of the boundary conditions only, are proposed, and no continuity conditions are enforced at intermediate cross-sections where discontinuities are shown. The continuity conditions are in fact embedded in the flexural stiffness model and are automatically accounted for by the proposed integration procedure. Finally, the proposed closed form solution for the cases of slope discontinuity is compared with the solution of a beam having an internal hinge with rotational spring reproducing the slope discontinuity.     

Numerical analysis and elastic–plastic deformation behavior of anisotropically damaged solids

The present paper is concerned with the numerical modelling of the large elastic–plastic deformation behavior and localization prediction of ductile metals which are sensitive to hydrostatic stress and anisotropically damaged. The model is based on a generalized macroscopic theory within the framework of nonlinear continuum damage mechanics. The formulation relies on a multiplicative decomposition of the metric transformation tensor into elastic and damaged-plastic parts. Furthermore, undamaged configurations are introduced which are related to the damaged configurations via associated metric transformations which allow for the interpretation as damage tensors. Strain rates are shown to be additively decomposed into elastic, plastic and damage strain rate tensors. Moreover, based on the standard dissipative material approach the constitutive framework is completed by different stress tensors, a yield criterion and a separate damage condition as well as corresponding potential functions. The evolution laws for plastic and damage strain rates are discussed in some detail. Estimates of the stress and strain histories are obtained via an explicit integration procedure which employs an inelastic (damage-plastic) predictor followed by an elastic corrector step. Numerical simulations of the elastic–plastic deformation behavior of damaged solids demonstrate the efficiency of the formulation. A variety of large strain elastic–plastic-damage problems including severe localization is presented, and the influence of different model parameters on the deformation and localization prediction of ductile metals is discussed.     

On the equivalence between traction- and stress-based approaches for the modeling of localized failure in solids

This work investigates systematically traction- and stress-based approaches for the modeling of strong and regularized discontinuities induced by localized failure in solids. Two complementary methodologies, i.e., discontinuities localized in an elastic solid and strain localization of an inelastic softening solid, are addressed. In the former it is assumed a priori that the discontinuity forms with a continuous stress field and along the known orientation. A traction-based failure criterion is introduced to characterize the discontinuity and the orientation is determined from Mohr's maximization postulate. If the displacement jumps are retained as independent variables, the strong/regularized discontinuity approaches follow, requiring constitutive models for both the bulk and discontinuity. Elimination of the displacement jumps at the material point level results in the embedded/smeared discontinuity approaches in which an overall inelastic constitutive model fulfilling the static constraint suffices. The second methodology is then adopted to check whether the assumed strain localization can occur and identify its consequences on the resulting approaches. The kinematic constraint guaranteeing stress boundedness and continuity upon strain localization is established for general inelastic softening solids. Application to a unified stress-based elastoplastic damage model naturally yields all the ingredients of a localized model for the discontinuity (band), justifying the first methodology. Two dual but not necessarily equivalent approaches, i.e., the traction-based elastoplastic damage model and the stress-based projected discontinuity model, are identified. The former is equivalent to the embedded and smeared discontinuity approaches, whereas in the later the discontinuity orientation and associated failure criterion are determined consistently from the kinematic constraint rather than given a priori. The bi-directional connections and equivalence conditions between the traction- and stress-based approaches are classified. Closed-form results under plane stress condition are also given. A generic failure criterion of either elliptic, parabolic or hyperbolic type is analyzed in a unified manner, with the classical von Mises (J₂), Drucker–Prager, Mohr–Coulomb and many other frequently employed criteria recovered as its particular cases.     

Interference of stationary and non-stationary shock waves

The mathematical model of a gasdynamic discontinuity is used in the area of study concerning gas flows with large gradients of gasdynamic functions. Gasdynamic functions before and after the discontinuity meet non-linear algebraic equations called the dynamic compatibility conditions on the discontinuities. Different modes of shock wave structures forming as a result of regular or irregular interference of the incoming discontinuities of different types are described. Ranges of the initial flow parameters definition such that either shock wave structures of different modes take place or interference equations have no solutions are determined. Most attention is given to arbitrary triple shock-wave configurations. Their classification is proposed. Differential characteristics of the steady flow are studied. The notion “differential characteristics” includes first derivatives of the fundamental gasdynamic parameters with respect to natural coordinates and curvatures of the discontinuities surfaces. Effect of unsteadiness on the triple-shock configuration is examined. Some problems arising at creation of complete local theory of steady and propagating gasdynamic discontinuities interference are formulated.     

Dynamic steady crack growth in elastic-plastic solids—propagation of strong discontinuities

The near-tip field of a mode I crack growing steadily under plane strain conditions is studied. A key issue is whether strong discontinuities can propagate under dynamic conditions. Theories which impose rather restrictive assumptions on the structure of an admissible deformation path through a dynamically propagating discontinuity have been proposed recently. Asymptotic solutions for dynamic crack growth, based on such theories, do not contain any discontinuities. In the present work a broader family of deformation paths is considered and we show that a discontinuity can propagate dynamically without violating any of the mechanical constitutive relations of the material. The proposed theory for the propagation of strong discontinuities is corroborated by very detailed finite element calculations. The latter shows a plane of strong discontinuity emanating from the crack tip (with its normal pointing in the direction of crack advance) and moving with the tip. Elastic unloading ahead of and/or behind the plane of discontinuity and behind the crack tip have also been observed.The numerical investigation is performed within the framework of a boundary layer formulation whereby the remote loading is fully specified by the first two terms in the asymptotic solution of the elasto-dynamic crack tip field, characterized by K₁, and T. It is shown that the family of near-tip fields, associated with a given crack speed, can be arranged into a one-parameter field based on a characteristic length, L_g, which scales with the smallest dimension of the plastic zone. This extends a previous result for quasi-static crack growth.     

A theory for stress-driven interfacial damage upon cationic-selective oxidation of alloys

Imagine a void at an interface, separating an outwardly growing oxide and a substitutional solid solution of two metallic elements A and B. Assume the metal interface oxidizes, but the void-free surface does not. Interdiffusion inside the metal, and misfit dislocation activities at the oxidizing interface, both generate a stress-free strain rate field. The compositional and material constraints in the presence of a non-oxidizing void give rise to a multi-axial tensile stress field, while a viscoplastic strain field arises to relax stress. The tensile stress at the interface enforces a concave curvature near the void tip through the continuity condition of the chemical potential. Atoms interflow along the void surface under the combined action of curvature, stress and composition gradients. They enter the metal/oxide interface and flow under the action of local stress, curvature and composition fields. The void grows. The stress at the interface relaxes, and the interface recedes partially and non-uniformly. Interfacial voiding upon cationic-selective oxidation is a long-standing topic in the world of thermal barrier coating and interconnect systems. This paper develops governing equations, within the alloy, for stress generation upon composition evolution and induced plastic strain. Governing equations at the interface and the void surface are next formulated to describe a moving boundary problem that accounts for the simultaneous void extension and interface recession. These governing equations are boundary conditions for the bulk formulation.     

High strain gradient plasticity associated with wedge indentation into face-centered cubic single crystals: Geometrically necessary dislocation densities

Experimental studies on indentation into face-centered cubic (FCC) single crystals such as copper and aluminum were performed to reveal the spatially resolved variation in crystal lattice rotation induced due to wedge indentation. The crystal lattice curvature tensors of the indented crystals were calculated from the in-plane lattice rotation results as measured by electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Nye's dislocation density tensors for plane strain deformation of both crystals were determined from the lattice curvature tensors. The least L²-norm solutions to the geometrically necessary dislocation densities for the case in which three effective in-plane slip systems were activated in the single crystals associated with the indentation were determined. Results show the formation of lattice rotation discontinuities along with a very high density of geometrically necessary dislocations.     

Analysis of the plastic zone at the corner point of interface

A symmetric problem of elasticity is formulated to analyze the plastic zone at the corner point of the interface between two isotropic media. The piecewise-homogeneous isotropic body with an interface in the form of angle sides consists of different elastic parts joined by a thin elastoplastic layer. The plastic zone is modeled by discontinuity lines of tangential displacement, which are located at the interface. The exact solution of the problem is found using the Wiener–Hopf method and is then used to determine the length of the plastic zone. The stress at the corner point is analyzed Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 45, No. 2, pp. 59–69, February 2009.     

Propagation of discontinuity waves in complex rheological media with viscous properties

The propagation of discontinuity waves of various order in rheological media is examined. It is assumed that the region of discontinuity of values can be represented by an intermediate layer of infinitesimal thickness. By means of this representation, results can be obtained for a rather wide class of continuous media with viscous properties, which generalize Duhem's results. The first integrals of the laws of momentum and energy conservation are obtained, which hold inside the intermediate layer at a shock wave.It is shown that when viscosity elements are introduced in a special way into the rheological model of a continuous medium, discontinuity waves of any order are propagated in the medium, and that at the surface of a strong discontinuity in a heat-conducting medium, the temperature is continuous. Additional conditions for strain discontinuities at the viscosity elements are obtained. For certain inclusions of the viscosity elements into the rheological model discontinuity waves do not propagate; instead there is merely a weak discontinuity surface which acts as an interface between the flow region of the continuous medium and the region in the state of rest. Contact discontinuities can occur in any continuous medium.The possible existence of a geometrical discontinuity surface in a viscous gas was examined first by Duhem [1]. He established that singluar strong-discontinuity surfaces cannot take place in a viscous gas. However, if one assumes that the velocity and temperature are continuous in the passage through a singular surface, only contact discontinuities are possible [2].     

Effect of crack-tip shape on the near-tip field in glassy polymer

The physical nature of a crack tip is not absolutely sharp but blunt with finite curvature. In this paper, the effects of crack-tip shape on the stress and deformation fields ahead of blunted cracks in glassy polymers are numerically investigated under Mode I loading and small scale yielding conditions. An elastic–viscoplastic constitutive model accounting for the strain softening upon yield and then the subsequently strain hardening is adopted and two typical glassy polymers, one with strain hardening and the other with strain softening–rehardening are considered in analysis. It is shown that the profile of crack tip has obvious effect on the near-tip plastic field. The size of near-tip plastic zone reduces with the increase of curvature radius of crack tip, while the plastic strain rate and the stresses near crack tip enhance obviously for two typical polymers. Also, the plastic energy dissipation behavior near cracks with different curvatures is discussed for both materials.     

Construction of approximate solutions of boundary value impact strain problems

The method for constructing approximate solutions of boundary value problems of impact strain dynamics in the form of ray expansions behind the strain discontinuity fronts is generalized to the case of curvilinear and diverging rays. This proposed generalization is illustrated by an example of dynamics of an antiplane motion of an elastic medium. The ray method is one of the methods for constructing approximate solutions of nonstationary boundary value problems of strain dynamics. It was proposed in [1, 2] and then widely used in nonstationary problems of mathematical physics involving surfaces on which the desired function or its derivatives have discontinuities [3–7]. A complete, qualified survey of papers in this direction can be found in [8]. This method is based on the expansion of the solution in a Taylor-type series behind the moving discontinuity surface rather than in a neighborhood of a stationary point. The coefficients of this series are the jumps of the derivatives of the unknown functions, for which, as a consequence of the compatibility conditions, one can obtain ordinary differential equations, i.e., discontinuity damping equations. In the case where the problem with velocity discontinuity surfaces is considered in a nonlinear medium, this method cannot be used directly, because one cannot obtain the damping equation. A modification of this method for the purpose of using it to solve problems of that type was proposed in [9–11], where, as an example, the solutions of several one-dimensional problems were considered. In the present paper, we show how this method can be transferred to the case of multidimensional impact strain problems in which the geometry of the ray is not known in advance and the rays become curvilinear and diverging. By way of example, we consider a simple problem on the antiplane motion of a nonlinearly elastic incompressible medium.     

Interfacial operators in the mechanics of composite media

Stress discontinuities in composite media can be treated systematically by splitting second-rank tensors at an interface into exterior and interior parts. With anisotropic response the decomposition needs support by an appropriate algebra of fourth-rank interfacial operators. This topic is reviewed here and some fresh standpoints are proposed. These lead to a reorganization of the algebra and its further development. The main new application is to elastoplastic composites whose response is subject to the normality flow-rule. Contact is also made with existing theories of incipient discontinuities in hyperbolic states of plastic deformation.     

Kinetic relations and the propagation of phase boundaries in solids

This paper treats the dynamics of phase transformations in elastic bars. The specific issue studied is the compatibility of the field equations and jump conditions of the one-dimensional theory of such bars with two additional constitutive requirements: a kinetic relation controlling the rate at which the phase transition takes place and a nucleation criterion for the initiation of the phase transition. A special elastic material with a piecewise-linear, non-monotonic stress-strain relation is considered, and the Riemann problem for this material is analyzed. For a large class of initial data, it is found that the kinetic relation and the nucleation criterion together single out a unique solution to this problem from among the infinitely many solutions that satisfy the entropy jump condition at all strain discontinuities.     

Initial kinking of an interface crack between two elastic media

The initial kinking of a thin fracture process zone near the crack tip under plane strain is studied using the Wiener-Hopf method. The crack is located at the interface between dissimilar elastic media. The fracture process zone is modeled by a straight line of normal displacement discontinuity emerging from the crack tip at an angle to the interface. The angle between the process zone and the interface is determined from the condition of strain energy maximum in the process zone. The dependences of the length and angle of the process zone on the external load and other parameters of the problem are studied. The results are compared with theoretical and experimental data obtained by other researchers __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 43, No. 10, pp. 28–41, October 2007.     

Features of the stress field near tunnel inclusions in an inhomogeneous anisotropic space

This paper proposes a method to solve problems for interface tunnel defects in a piecewise-homogeneous elastic material that is under generalized plane strain and has no planes of elastic symmetry. The method is based on integral relations between the discontinuities and sums of the components of the displacement vector and stress tensor at the interface. Closed-form solutions are obtained for a system of interface tunnel inclusions with mixed contact conditions between the space and the inclusions. The dependences of the indices of singularity of the solutions on orthogonal coordinate transformation are established for different combinations of materials of monoclinic and orthorhombic systems. The effect of the antiplane component on the behavior of the solutions is revealed __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika, Vol. 44, No. 6, pp. 36–45, June 2008.