Failure surface of epoxy-modified fiber-reinforced composites under transverse tension and out-of-plane shear

The mechanical behavior of uniaxially fiber-reinforced composites with a ductile rubber-toughened epoxy matrix was studied through the finite element analysis of a RVE of the composite microstructure. The fibers were represented by elastic and isotropic solids, while the rubber-modified epoxy matrix behaved as a elasto-viscoplastic solid. The matrix flow stress followed the model developed by Jeong [Jeong, H.-Y., 2002. A new yield function and a hydrostatic stress-controlled void nucleation model for porous solids with pressure-sensitive matrices. International Journal of Solids and Structures 39, 1385–1403.], which included the inherent pressure-sensitivity of the yield stress in the epoxy matrix, the damage due to the cavitation of the rubber particles and subsequent void growth, and the particular features of elastic–viscoplastic behavior in glassy polymers, particularly the intrinsic softening upon yield followed by hardening. Composites with either perfect or weak fiber/matrix interfaces (the latter introduced through cohesive elements) were studied to assess the influence of interface strength on the composite behavior. Simulations under transverse tension and out-of-plane shear were carried out to establish the effect of loading conditions on the dominant deformation and failure micromechanisms. In addition, the corresponding failure locus was obtained and compared with the predictions of current phenomenological failure criteria for composites. The range of validity of these criteria and the areas for further improvement were established by comparison with the numerical results.     

压力敏感材料中的空洞长大研究及其在页岩及高分子材料中的应用

主要研究压力敏感材料中含内压的空洞长大,如页岩或者高分子材料。采用数值方法研究含内压空洞的对称和非对称球形和柱形胞元的宏观力学行为。结果表明,压力敏感性及其空洞内压将极大影响空洞的形核与长大。在球形胞元情形中未出现柱形胞元的单轴拉伸现象。将胞元有限变形的数值计算结果与基于近期提出的考虑压力敏感材料中空洞长大的塑形力学模型的分析结果进行了对比。     

Effect of large elastic strains on cavitation instability predictions for elastic–plastic solids

For an infinite solid containing a void, the cavitation instability limit is defined as the remote stress–and strain state, at which the void grows without bound, driven by the elastic energy stored in the surrounding material. Such cavitation limits have been analysed by a number of authors for metal plasticity as well as for nonlinear elastic solids. The analyses for elastic–plastic solids are here extended to consider the effect of a large initial yield strain, and it is shown how the critical stress value decays for increasing value of the yield strain. Analyses are carried out for remote hydrostatic tension as well as for more general axisymmetric remote stress field, with an initially spherical void. Different levels of strain hardening are considered.     

Three-dimensional micromechanical modeling of voided polymeric materials

A three-dimensional micromechanical unit cell model for particle-filled materials is presented. The cell model is based on a Voronoi tessellation of particles arranged on a body-centered cubic (BCC) array. The three-dimensionality of the present cell model enables the study of several deformation modes, including uniaxial, plane strain and simple shear deformations, as well as arbitrary principal stress states.The unit cell model is applied to studies on the micromechanical and macromechanical behavior of rubber-toughened polycarbonate. Different load cases are examined, including plane strain deformation, simple shear deformation and principal stress states. For a constant macroscopic strain rate, the different load cases show that the macroscopic flow strength of the blend decreases with an increase in void volume fraction, as expected. The main mechanism for plastic deformation is broad shear banding across inter-particle ligaments. The distributed nature of plastic straining acts to reduce the amount of macroscopic strain softening in the blend as the initial void volume fraction is increased. In the case of plane strain deformation, the plastic flow is observed to initiate across inter-particle ligaments in the direction of constraint. This particular mode of deformation could not have been captured using a two-dimensional, plane strain idealization of cylindrical voids in a matrix.The potential for localized crazing and/or cavitation in the matrix is addressed. It is observed that the introduction of voids acts to relieve hydrostatic stress in the matrix material, compared to the homopolymer. It is also seen that the predicted peak hydrostatic stress in the matrix is higher under plane strain deformation than under triaxial tension (with equal lateral stresses), for the same macroscopic stress triaxiality.The effect of void volume fraction on the macroscopic uniaxial tension behavior of the different blends is examined using a Considère construction for dilatant materials. The natural draw ratio was predicted to decrease with an increase in void volume fraction.     

A plasticity model for cellular materials with open-celled structure

Based on a rigid-plastic material model that obeys the von Mises yield criterion, the plastic behavior of foams with an open-celled structure is studied in this paper using a single unit cell. An approximate continuum plasticity model is developed within the framework of the upper bound theorem of plasticity to describe the yield behavior of foams. The microscopic velocity fields are derived for the unit cell, which satisfy the incompressibility and the kinematic boundary conditions, and expressed in macroscopic rate of deformation. From the microscopic velocity fields, a macroscopic yield function is developed for foams under multi-axial stresses and includes the effects of the hydrostatic stress due to the void presence and growth. The dependency of the derived yield surfaces of foams on their relative densities is studied. The plastic behavior of foams is also studied numerically using the finite element method. The newly developed plasticity model is compared with the finite element analysis results and other available foam models and then correlated with the finite element results.     

Quasi-static cylindrical cavity expansion in an elastoplastic compressible Mises solid

The self-similar elastoplastic field induced by quasi-static expansion of a pressurized cylindrical cavity is investigated for Mises solids under the assumption of plane-strain. Material behavior is modeled by the elastoplastic J₂ flow theory with the standard hypoelastic version. The theory accounts for elastic-compressibility and allows for arbitrary strain-hardening (or softening) in the plastic range. A formulation of the exact governing equations is presented and analyzed in detail for the remote elastic field and for asymptotic plastic behavior near the cavity wall, along with numerical investigations for the entire deformation zone. An analytical solution was obtained under the axially-hydrostatic assumption (axial stress coincides with hydrostatic stress) within an error of about 2% or less as compared to the exact, numerically evaluated, value of cavitation pressure. Two ad-hoc compressibility approximations for cavitation pressure are suggested. These relations, which give very accurate results, appear to provide tight lower and upper bounds on the exact value of cavitation pressure within an error of less than 0.5%.     

Effects of pressure-sensitivity and plastic dilatancy on void growth and interaction

Hydrostatic stress can affect the non-elastic deformation and flow stress of polymeric materials and certain metallic alloys. This sensitivity to hydrostatic stress can also influence the fracture toughness of ductile materials, which fail by void growth and coalescence. These materials typically contain a non-uniform distribution of voids of varying size-scales and void shapes. In this work, the effects of void shape and microvoid interaction in pressure-sensitive materials are examined via a two-prong approach: (i) an axisymmetric unit-cell containing a single ellipsoidal void and (ii) a plane-strain unit-cell consisting of a single large void and a population of discrete microvoids. The representative material volume in both cases is subjected to physical stress states similar to highly stressed regions ahead of a crack. Results show that oblate voids and microvoid cavitation can severely reduce the critical stress of the material. These effects can be compounded under high levels of pressure-sensitivity. In some cases, the critical stress responsible for rapid void growth is reduced to levels comparable to the yield strength of the material. The contribution of void shape and pressure-sensitivity to the thermal- and moisture-induced voiding phenomenon in IC packages is also discussed.     

Analysis of cavitation problem of heated elastic composite ball

The cavitation problem of a composite ball under a uniform temperature is investigated, and the ball is composed of two elastic solid materials. The nonlinear mathematical model of the problem is established with the finite logarithmic strain measure for a large geometric deformation and by the Hooke law for elastic materials. The analytic solutions in a parametric form are derived for the thermal dilatation of the composite ball with a large elastic deformation. Solution curves are given to describe the variations of the critical temperature in the cavitation with the geometric and material parameters. The bifurcation curve is also given to reveal the cavity growth after void nucleation. The numerical results for a computational example indicate that the radius of the cavity will rapidly grow above the critical temperature, and the loop stress will become infinite when void nucleation. This means that the materials near the cavity will produce a plastic deformation leading to local failure and fracture if the material of the internal ball is elastoplastic. In addition, the cavitation of the composite ball appears at a low temperature if the elastic property of the material of the internal ball is nearly uncompressible.     

Macroscopic yield criteria for plastic anisotropic materials containing spheroidal voids

The combined effects of void shape and matrix anisotropy on the macroscopic response of ductile porous solids is investigated. The Gologanu–Leblond–Devaux’s (GLD) analysis of an rigid-ideal plastic (von Mises) spheroidal volume containing a confocal spheroidal cavity loaded axisymmetrically is extended to the case when the matrix is anisotropic (obeying Hill’s [Hill, R., 1948. A theory of yielding and plastic flow of anisotropic solids. Proc. Roy. Soc. London A 193, 281–297] anisotropic yield criterion) and the representative volume element is subjected to arbitrary deformation. To derive the overall anisotropic yield criterion, a limit analysis approach is used. Conditions of homogeneous boundary strain rate are imposed on every ellipsoidal confocal with the cavity. A two-field trial velocity satisfying these boundary conditions are considered. It is shown that for cylindrical and spherical void geometries, the proposed criterion reduces to existing anisotropic Gurson-like yield criteria. Furthermore, it is shown that for the case when the matrix is considered isotropic, the new results provide a rigorous generalization to the GLD model. Finally, the accuracy of the proposed approximate yield criterion for plastic anisotropic media containing non-spherical voids is assessed through comparison with numerical results.     

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.     

Effect of yield surface curvature and void nucleation on plastic flow localization

The effect of void nucleation is incorporated in a recently proposed material model that accounts for a combination of kinematic hardening and isotropic hardening of a porous ductile material. Since each of plastic dilatancy, void nucleation and yield surface curvature have a strong influence on predictions of plastic flow localization, the present material model can be used to study the interaction of these effects. Nucleation controlled by the plastic strain as well as nucleation controlled by the maximum normal stress on the particle-matrix interface are modelled. The predictions of the material model, for various combinations of parameters, are illustrated by analyses of shear band formation under plane strain or axisymmetric conditions, and by analyses of necking in biaxially stretched sheets.     

Accelerated void growth in porous ductile solids containing two populations of cavities

This paper presents an analytical and numerical study of accelerated void growth in porous ductile solids arising from the presence of two populations of cavities very different in size. It is based on the model problem of some hollow sphere made of porous plastic material and subjected to hydrostatic tension. The central hole plays the role of a typical big cavity of the first population while those dispersed in the matrix stand for the small cavities of the second one. The behavior of the matrix is supposed to obey Gurson's famous “homogenized” model for porous ductile solids (Gurson, A.L., 1977. Continuum theory of ductile rupture by void nucleation and growth: part I — yield criteria and flow rules for porous ductile media. ASME J Engng Materials Technol 99, 2–15). The analytic solution of this model problem shows that the small voids located near the big one grow twice as fast as the latter void. This suggests that in a subsequent step, these small cavities may reach coalescence prior to the big ones, thus creating spherical shells of ruined matter around the cavities of the first population and leading to accelerated growth of the latter cavities; this scenario is in agreement with experimental evidence. Since this subsequent step is not amenable to a complete analytic solution, it is studied numerically. Finally, a simplified model reproducing the two steps of void growth (prior to coalescence of the small voids and after it has started) is developed on the basis of the analytical solution for the first step and some elements of a similar solution for the second one. The results derived from this simplified model are in good quantitative agreement with those obtained through the complete numerical simulations.     

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.     

A physical model for nucleation and early growth of voids in ductile materials under dynamic loading

Spall fracture and other rapid tensile failures in ductile materials are often dominated by the rapid growth of voids. Recent research on the mechanics of void growth clearly shows that void nucleation may be represented as a bifurcation phenomenon, wherein a void forms spontaneously followed by highly localized plastic flow around the new void. Although thermal, viscoplastic, and work hardening effects all play an essential role in the earliest stages of nucleation and growth, the flow becomes dominated by spherical radial inertia, which soon causes all voids to grow asymptotically at the same rate, regardless of differences in initial conditions or constitutive details, provided only that there is the same density of matrix material and the same excess loading history beyond the cavitation stress.These two facts, initiation by bifurcation at a cavitation stress, at which a void first appears, and rapid domination by inertia, are used to postulate a simple, but physically realistic, model for nucleation and early growth of voids in a ductile material under rapid tensile loading. A reasonable statistical distribution for the cavitation stress at various nucleation sites and a simple similarity solution for inertially dominated void growth permit a simple calculation of the initiation and early growth of porosity in the material.Parametric analyses are presented to show the effect that loading rate, peak loading stress, density of nucleation sites, physical properties of the material, etc. have on the applied pressure and distribution of void sizes when a critical porosity is reached.     

On stress-state dependent plasticity modeling: Significance of the hydrostatic stress, the third invariant of stress deviator and the non-associated flow rule

It has been shown that the plastic response of many materials, including some metallic alloys, depends on the stress state. In this paper, we describe a plasticity model for isotropic materials, which is a function of the hydrostatic stress as well as the second and third invariants of the stress deviator, and present its finite element implementation, including integration of the constitutive equations using the backward Euler method and formulation of the consistent tangent moduli. Special attention is paid for the adoption of the non-associated flow rule. As an application, this model is calibrated and verified for a 5083 aluminum alloy. Furthermore, the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman porous plasticity model, which is widely used to simulate the void growth process of ductile fracture, is extended to include the effects of hydrostatic stress and the third invariant of stress deviator on the matrix material.     

Cavitation in brittle metallic glasses – Effects of stress state and distributed weak zones

Experimental studies and atomistic simulations have shown that brittle metallic glasses fail by a cavitation mechanism whose origin has been traced to the presence of intrinsic atomic density fluctuations which give rise to weak zones with reduced yield strength. It has been shown recently through continuum analysis that the presence of these zones can lower the cavitation stress considerably under equibiaxial loading. The objective of the present work is to study the effect of the applied stress state on the cavitation behavior of such a heterogeneous plastic solid with distributed weak zones. To this end, 2D plane strain finite element simulations are performed by subjecting a unit cell containing a weak zone to different (biaxiality) stress ratios. The volume fraction and yield strength of the weak zone are varied over a wide range. The results show that unlike in a homogeneous plastic solid, the cavitation stress of the heterogeneous aggregate does not reduce appreciably as the stress ratio decreases from unity when the yield strength of the weak zone is low. It is found that a non-dimensional parameter characterizing the stress state prevailing in the weak zone and its yield properties uniquely control the cavitation stress. The nature of cavitation bifurcation may change from unstable bifurcation to the left at sufficiently low stress ratio to one involving snap cavitation at high stress ratio.     

A three-dimensional numerical study of mode I crack tip fields in pressure sensitive plastic solids

In this paper, a finite element study of 3D crack tip fields in pressure sensitive plastic solids (such as polymers or metallic glasses) under mode I, small scale yielding conditions is performed. The material is assumed to obey a small strain, Extended Drucker–Prager yield condition. The roles of pressure sensitive yielding, plastic dilatancy and yield locus shape on the 3D plastic zone development and near-crack front fields are systematically studied. It is found that while pressure sensitivity leads to a significant drop in the hydrostatic stress all along the 3D crack front, it enhances the plastic strain and crack opening displacements. The implications of these contrasting trends on ductile fracture processes are discussed in the light of some recent micro-mechanical simulations.     

A pressure-sensitive yield criterion under a non-associated flow rule for sheet metal forming

Spitzig and Richmond [Acta Metall. 32 (1984) 457] proposed that plastic yielding of both polycrystalline and single crystals of steel and aluminum alloys shows a significant sensitivity to hydrostatic pressure. They further showed that under the associated flow rule, this pressure sensitivity leads to a plastic dilatancy, i.e. permanent volume change, that is at least an order of magnitude larger than observed. Indeed, the plastic dilatancy for most materials is on the order of the measurement error and must be zero in the absence of phase change and significant void nucleation during plastic deformation. A non-associated flow rule based on a pressure sensitive yield criterion with isotropic hardening is proposed in this paper that is consistent with the Spitzig and Richmond data and analysis. The significance of this work is that the model distorts the shape of the yield function in tension and compression, fully accounting for the strength differential effect (SDE). This capability is important because the SDE is sometimes described through kinematic hardening models using only pressure insensitive yield criteria.