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.     

Relations between a micro-mechanical model and a damage model for ductile failure in shear

Gurson type constitutive models that account for void growth to coalescence are not able to describe ductile fracture in simple shear, where there is no hydrostatic tension in the material. But recent micro-mechanical studies have shown that in shear the voids are flattened out to micro-cracks, which rotate and elongate until interaction with neighbouring micro-cracks gives coalescence. Thus, the failure mechanism is very different from that under tensile loading. Also, the Gurson model has recently been extended to describe failure in shear, by adding a damage term to the expression for the growth of the void volume fraction, and it has been shown that this extended model can represent experimental observations. Here, numerical studies are carried out to compare predictions of the shear-extended Gurson model with the shear failures predicted by the micro-mechanical cell model. Both models show a strong dependence on the level of hydrostatic tension. Even though the reason for this pressure dependence is different in the two models, as the shear-extended Gurson model does not describe voids flattening out and the associated failure mechanism by micro-cracks interacting with neighbouring micro-cracks, it is shown that the trends of the predictions are in good agreement.     

A damage accumulation model for complex strain paths: Prediction of ductile failure in metals

The characterisation of strain path with respect to the directionality of defect formation is discussed. The criterion of non-monotonic strain path is used in the scalar and tensor models for damage accumulation and recovery. Comparable analysis of models and their verification has been obtained by simulation of crack initiation in a two-stage metal forming operation consisting of wire drawing followed by constrained upsetting.     

A microscopic damage model considering the change of void shape and application in the void closing

A microscopic damage model of ellipsoidal body containing ellipsoidal void for nonlinear matrix materials is developed under a particular coordinate. The change of void shape is considered in this model. The viscous restrained equation obtained from the model is affected by stress ∑_(ij), void volume fraction f, material strain rate exponent m as well as the void shape. Gurson's equation is modified from the numerical solution. The modified equation is suitable for the case of nonlinear matrix materials and changeable voids. Lastly, the model is used to analyze the closing process of voids.     

A model of fracture in reinforced concrete arches based on lumped damage mechanics

A simplified model of cracking and damage in RC circular elements is proposed. The model can be used for the structural assessment of arches and rings. The constitutive equations are based on lumped damage mechanics which is an adaptation of fracture and continuum damage mechanics to the theory of frames with plastic hinges. An arch element is assumed to be the assemblage of an elastic circular component and two inelastic hinges where the main inelastic effects, plastic yielding of the longitudinal reinforcement and concrete cracking, are concentrated. Deformations in the elastic part are assumed to be small but the model may include some geometrically nonlinear effects due to large displacements or rotations of the hinges. The numerical examples presented in the paper show that the model describes correctly the global behavior of two structures including the softening phase.     

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.     

Estimation of structural element sizes in sand and compacted blocks of ground calcium carbonate using a void network model

An algorithm has been developed for the calculation of the size of the effective structural or skeletal elements which make up the solid phase of an unconsolidated or consolidated porous block. It is based on a previously presented algorithm, but it has now been validated on unconsolidated samples and tested on consolidated samples. It also includes a virtual reality representation of the structures. First, a network model named Pore-Cor is made to reproduce the percolation behaviour of the experimental sample, by matching its simulated percolation characteristics to an experimental mercury intrusion curve. The algorithm then grows skeletal elements between the cubic pores and cylindrical throats of the void network model until they touch up to four of the adjacent void features. The size distributions of the simulated solid elements are compared with each other and with experimentally determined particle size distributions, using a Mann–Whitney test. The algorithm was shown to simulate skeletal elements with the correct trends in size distribution for two different sand samples, provided the sand packed itself optimally under the applied mercury pressure. It was also applied to two samples of variously compressed calcium carbonate powder, having fine and coarse particle size distributions respectively. The simulation demonstrated that on compressing the powder at the minimum force, the skeletal elements differed from the constituent particle sizes, as expected. The average size of the skeletal elements increased as the compression force was increased on the calcium carbonate powders. The results suggest that the method could be useful as a tool for probing the effect of compaction on aggregation or sintering, and for studying other effects such as cementation in geological samples, where other more direct techniques cannot be applied.     

Adaptive coupling between damage mechanics and peridynamics: A route for objective simulation of material degradation up to complete failure

The objective (mesh-independent) simulation of evolving discontinuities, such as cracks, remains a challenge. Current techniques are highly complex or involve intractable computational costs, making simulations up to complete failure difficult. We propose a framework as a new route toward solving this problem that adaptively couples local-continuum damage mechanics with peridynamics to objectively simulate all the steps that lead to material failure: damage nucleation, crack formation and propagation. Local-continuum damage mechanics successfully describes the degradation related to dispersed microdefects before the formation of a macrocrack. However, when damage localizes, it suffers spurious mesh dependency, making the simulation of macrocracks challenging. On the other hand, the peridynamic theory is promising for the simulation of fractures, as it naturally allows discontinuities in the displacement field. Here, we present a hybrid local-continuum damage/peridynamic model. Local-continuum damage mechanics is used to describe “volume” damage before localization. Once localization is detected at a point, the remaining part of the energy is dissipated through an adaptive peridynamic model capable of the transition to a “surface” degradation, typically a crack. We believe that this framework, which actually mimics the real physical process of crack formation, is the first bridge between continuum damage theories and peridynamics. Two-dimensional numerical examples are used to illustrate that an objective simulation of material failure can be achieved by this method.     

An application of a damage constitutive model to concrete at high temperature and prediction of spalling

A characteristic feature of concrete under uniaxial compression is the development of cracks parallel to the loading direction. A damage constitutive model proposed by Ortiz [Ortiz, M., 1985. A constitutive theory for the inelastic behaviour of concrete. Mech. Mater. 4, 67–93] can predict the transverse tensile stress responsible for these cracks by considering the interaction between the aggregate and the mortar and the development of damage in the latter. When concrete is exposed to high temperature, as is the case during fire, the failure mode is thermal spalling. In order to improve the prediction of the stresses involved in this failure Ortiz’s model is extended to account for the effects of high temperature. Published experimental results for uniaxial and biaxial compression at high temperatures are used to calibrate the temperature dependence of some of the material properties. The transient creep strain is accounted for by modifying the constrained thermal strain. The stress analysis is coupled with hygro-thermal analysis of heat, mass transfer and pore pressure build-up. The effect of pore pressure on the damage evolution is modeled by applying a body force in the stress analysis module proportional to the pressure gradient. A numerical example of concrete under fire is solved and the computed results are discussed. Spalling is predicted when the damage variable reaches its maximum value of unity. The predicted depth and time of spalling for a range of variation of permeability and initial liquid water content are presented. They are in good agreement with published experimental results.     

A constitutive model dealing with damage due to cavity growth and the Mullins effect in rubber-like materials under triaxial loading

In this work, we attempted to describe the evolution of damage in rubber-like materials due to the Mullins effect and the cavity growth process. To this end we introduced two distinct internal variables into the constitutive laws; the first one essentially describes the Mullins damage and the second describes the cavity growth. The Mullins effect was considered as a continuous type of damage that can be modelled within the continuum damage theory. The cavity growth, being discontinuous at the microscopic scale, was also modelled by a continuous variable after a homogenization procedure. These analyses allow the establishment of a compressible constitutive law describing the strain-softening phenomena for rubber-like materials. In order to identify the material parameters and to verify the efficiency of the model, we carried out experimental studies involving uniaxial, biaxial, and hydrostatic tensions under monotonic and cyclic loading. Comparison between the model-predicted results and the experimental data shows that the present model can efficiently describe both the Mullins damage and the porosity evolution of rubber-like materials under triaxial monotonic or cyclic loading with a satisfactory accuracy. The proposed concept is simple and easy to apply to engineering calculations.     

On a geometrically nonlinear damage model based on a multiplicative decomposition of the deformation gradient and the propagation of microcracks

We aim to derive a damage model for materials damaged by microcracks. The evolution of the cracks shall be governed by the maximum energy release rate, which was recently shown to be a direct consequence of the variational principle of a body with a crack (Arch. Appl. Mech. 69 (5) (1999) 337). From this, we get the path of the growing crack by introducing a series of thermodynamically equivalent straight cracks. The equivalence of the energy dissipated by microcrack growth and the damage dissipation leads to our damage evolution law. This evolution law will be embedded in a finite deformation framework based on a multiplicative decomposition into elastic and damage parts. As a consequence of this, we can present the anisotropic damaged elasticity tensor with the help of push and pull operations. The connection of this approach to other well known damage theories will be shown and the advantages of a finite element framework will be worked out. Numerical examples show the possibilities of the proposed model.     

CDM predictions of creep damage initiation and growth in ferritic steel weldments in a medium-bore branched pipe under constant pressure at 590° C using a four-material weld model

The paper reports the use of three-dimensional creep continuum damage mechanics techniques to study the creep failure of a medium-bore low-alloy ferritic-steel cylinder–cylinder branched pressure vessel welded connection, tested at a constant pressure of 4 MPa, at a uniform temperature of 590°C. The development of computational techniques is reported to analyse this problem with a four-material model of the welded connection which includes: parent, type IV, heat-affected zone (HAZ) and weld materials. The results of analyses are presented for two sets of creep damage constitutive equations. For both equation sets, lifetimes are conservatively, yet accurately predicted; however, the results of metallographic examinations of a tested vessel are not accurately predicted. To overcome this deficiency further analyses of the vessel are recommended which include: a coarse-grained HAZ (CGHAZ), adjacent to the weld material; and, more-refined finite element modelling.     

基于拟流体模型的SPH新方法及其在弹丸超高速碰撞薄板中的应用

引入颗粒动力学理论(拟流体模型)建立了适用于超高速碰撞的SPH新方法。将超高速碰撞中处于损伤状态的碎片等效为拟流体,在描述其运动过程中引入了碎片间相互作用和气体相对碎片的作用。采用该方法对球形弹丸超高速碰撞薄板形成碎片云的过程进行了数值模拟,得到了弹坑直径、外泡碎片云和内核碎片云的形状、分布,并与使用传统SPH方法、自适应光滑粒子流体动力学(ASPH)方法的模拟结果进行对比,结果显示：新方法在内核碎片云形状和分布上计算结果更加准确。同时对Whipple屏超高速碰撞问题进行了研究,分析了不同撞击速度下防护屏弹坑尺寸及舱壁损伤特性等特性,计算结果与实验吻合较好且符合Whipple防护结构的典型撞击极限曲线。

     

A 2D finite element based on a nonlocal constitutive model describing localization and propagation of phase transformation in shape memory alloy thin structures

Here, the effects of localization and propagation of martensitic phase transformation on the response of SMA thin structures subjected to thermo-mechanical loadings are investigated using nonlocal constitutive model in conjunction with finite element method. The governing equations are derived based on variational principle considering thermo-mechanical equilibrium and the spatial distribution of the nonlocal volume fraction of martensite during transformation. The nonlocal volume fraction of martensite is defined as a weighted average of the local volume fraction of martensite over a domain characterized by an internal length parameter. The local version of the thermo-mechanical behavior model derived from micromechanics considers the local volume fraction of martensite and the mean transformation strain. A 4-noded quadrilateral plane stress element with three degrees of freedom per node accounting for in-plane displacements and the nonlocal volume fraction of martensite is developed. Numerical simulations are conducted to bring out the influence of material and geometrical heterogeneities (perturbations/defects) on the localization and propagation of phase transformation in SMA thin structures. Also, a sensitivity analysis of the material response due to the localization and the other related model parameters is carried out. The detailed investigation done here clearly shows that the localization of phase transformation has significant effect on the response of shape memory alloys.