Modeling shear localization along granular soil–structure interfaces using elasto-plastic Cosserat continuum

The current study presents finite element simulations of shear localization along the interface between cohesionless granular soil and bounding structure under large shearing movement. Micro-polar (Cosserat) continuum approach is applied in the framework of elasto-plasticity in order to overcome the numerical problems of localization modeling seen in the conventional continuum mechanics. The effects of different micro-polar kinematic boundary conditions, along the interface, on the evolution and location of shear band are shown by the numerical results. Furthermore, shear band thickness is also investigated for its dependence on the initial void ratio, vertical pressure and mean grain size. Here, the distribution and evolution of static and kinematic quantities are the main focuses regarding infinite layer of micro-polar material during plane shearing, especially with advanced large movement of bounding structure. The influence of such movement has not been investigated yet in the literature. Based on the results obtained from this study, shear localization appears parallel to the direction of shearing. It occurs either in the middle of granular layer or near boundaries, regarding the assumed micro-polar kinematic boundary conditions at the bottom and top surfaces of granular soil layer. Narrower shear band is observed in lower rotation resistance of soil particles along the interface. It is emphasized that the displacement magnitude of bounding structure has significant effect on the distribution and evolution of state variables and polar quantities in the granular soil layer. However, continuous displacement has no meaningful effect on the thickness of shear band. Here, smooth distributions of void ratio and shear stress components are obtained within the shear band, what the other previous numerical investigations did not receive. Despite indirect linking of Lade’s model to the critical state soil mechanics, state variables tend towards asymptotical stationary condition in large shear deformation.     

The failure of a strain-softening solid containing an internal flaw

The paper presents results from a theoretical analysis of the effect of a penny-shaped crack on the failure of an infinite solid that is subjected to tension loadings normal to the crack plane. The material is strain-softening and the fully developed softening zone size and the crack tip stress intensity K associated with the attainment of this state are shown to be very dependent on the initial crack size. For load control conditions, it is shown that complete failure can occur prior to the full development of a softening zone, the failure stress depending on the initial crack size. Particular emphasis is focused on the limiting situation where the failure stress approaches the limit stress, i.e. the maximum stress that the strain-softening material can sustain, and the effect of the strain-softening law on this limiting situation is determined.     

Evolution of strain localization in glassy polymers: A numerical study

An explicit numerical implementation is described, for a constitutive model of glassy polymers, previously proposed and validated. Then it is exploited within a Finite Element continuum model, to simulate spontaneous strain localization (necking) occurring during extension of a prismatic bar of a typical glassy polymer. Material parameters for atactic polystyrene are employed. The material model is physically based and highly non-linearly viscoelastic. Three of its principal features are critical in simulations of strain localization: rate-dependence of plastic flow stress; strain-induced structural rejuvenation, represented by increase of Tool’s fictive temperature and leading to pronounced post-yield strain softening; and molecular alignment during extension, giving rise to strain-hardening. In all simulations there is a peak in nominal stress, satisfying the condition for localization to occur. Nevertheless, the simulations show that the process of strain localization varies considerably, depending on details of the extension sequence and on assumed values for certain material parameters. A characteristic feature observed is that strain localization in such a material occurs in two stages. There is an initial spurt associated with strain-softening, followed by a slower growth of localization that eventually subsides, ultimately giving way to uniform extension of the neck. But the details of evolution of the strain distribution vary greatly. The rapidity and severity of localization are increased by decreased temperature, increased strain-rate or greater structural rejuvenation. A simple one-dimensional stability analysis is successful in explaining the results.     

Micromechanics based second gradient continuum theory for shear band modeling in cohesive granular materials following damage elasticity

Gradient theories, as a regularized continuum mechanics approach, have found wide applications for modeling strain localization failure process. This paper presents a second gradient stress–strain damage elasticity theory based upon the method of virtual power. The theory considers the strain gradient and its conjugated double stresses. Instead of introducing an intrinsic material length scale into the constitutive law in an ad hoc fashion, a microstructural granular mechanics approach is applied to derive the higher-order constitutive coefficients such that the internal length scale parameter reflects the natural granularity of the underlying material microstructure. The derivations of the required damage constitutive relationships, the strong form governing equations as well as its weak form for the second gradient model are described. The recently popularized Element-Free Galerkin (EFG) method is then employed to discretize the weak form equilibrium equation for accommodating the resultant higher-order continuity requirements and further handling the mesh sensitivity problem. Numerical examples for shear band simulations show that the proposed second gradient continuum model can produce stable, accurate as well as mesh-size independent solutions without a priori assumption of the shear band path.     

The failure of a strain-softening material: II. The effect of geometrical and loading parameters

This paper presents theoretical analyses of a variety of models which simulate crack growth in a strain-softening material, with attention being focused on the fully developed softening zone length and the value of the crack tip stress intensity associated with the attainment of such a state. Results from the models show that both these parameters can be very sensitive to both the initial crack configuration and the loading characteristics, and can differ appreciably from the values appropriate to a semi-infinite crack in a remotely loaded infinite solid. The present paper's results underline the view that the analytical results obtained in Part I, and other workers' numerical results for a specific material, are rather special. Part I analyzed the behaviour of a crack in a double cantilever beam specimen, and it was shown that the value of the crack tip stress intensity associated with a fully developed softening zone is essentially independent of the initial crack size and beam height, and is equivalent to the value for a semi-infinite crack in a remotely loaded infinite solid.     

Stability of a thick elastic plate under thrust

When a rectangular plate of incompressible neo-Hookean elastic material is subjected to a thrust, bifurcations of the flexural or barreling types become possible at certain critical values of the compression ratio. The states of pure homogeneous deformation corresponding to these critical compression ratios are states of neutral equilibrium. Their stability is investigated on the basis of an energy criterion, without restriction on the thickness of the plate.The critical state corresponding to the lowest order flexural mode is found to be stable (unstable) if the aspect ratio (thickness/length) is less (greater) than about 0.2. Agreement with the classical Euler theory is established in the limiting case of small aspect ratio.     

Prediction of the initial thickness of shear band localization based on a reduced strain gradient theory

Plastic flow localization in ductile materials subjected to pure shear loading and uniaxial tension is investigated respectively in this paper using a reduced strain gradient theory, which consists of the couple-stress (CS) strain gradient theory proposed by Fleck and Hutchinson (1993) and the strain gradient hardening (softening) law (C–W) proposed by Chen and Wang (2000). Unlike the classical plasticity framework, the initial thickness of the shear band and the strain rate distribution in both cases are predicted analytically using a bifurcation analysis. It shows that the strain rate is obviously non-uniform inside the shear band and reaches a maximum at the center of the shear band. The initial thickness of the shear band depends on not only the material intrinsic length l_cs but also the material constants, such as the yield strength, ultimate tension strength, the linear hardening and softening shear moduli. Specially, in the uniaxial tension case, the most possible tilt angle of shear band localization is consistent qualitatively with the existing experimental observations. The results in this paper should be useful for engineers to predict the details of material failures due to plastic flow localization.     

Cosserat连续体模型中本构参数对应变局部化模拟结果影响的数值分析

基于所发展的压力相关弹塑性Cosserat连续体模型及相应的数值方法,以一维剪切层及二维平板压缩问题为例,数值分析了Cosserat连续体模型中的本构参数Cosserat剪模、软化模量及内部长度参数对应变局部化数值模拟结果的影响.结果表明在一定取值范围内,Cosserat剪模对数值模拟结果几乎没有影响,并给出了具体数值计算时的取值范围;软化模量绝对值越大,后破坏段的荷载-位移曲线越陡,计算得到的剪切带宽度越窄;内部长度参数越大,后破坏段的荷载-位移曲线越平缓,计算得到的剪切带越宽.     

Compression-shear failure of cementitious materials with oblique weak layers

Compressive/shear failure and strain-softening behavior of a bi-material system consisting of two different mortar compositions are studied. The bulk part of the bi-material specimen was made from the stronger mortar and was cast first, and then an oblique weak layer made from the weaker mortar was introduced in the middle of the specimen. By controlling the weak layer angle, thickness and strength, the compressive/shear failure characteristics and Mode-II shear strain-softening behavior have been determined. A bi-linear strain-softening model is proposed to consider both the Mode-II shear strain-softening behavior and the influence of friction due to compression. A linear softening law for the first part of the bi-linear model is sufficient to describe the softening curve after the peak load, but the second linear ‘softening’ relation is required to explain the influence of friction on the load and displacement curve. With the bi-linear model the Mode-II fracture energy G^f-ll can be separated from the frictional energy dissipation. It is also found that two different frictional coefficients exist if a load and displacement curve has distinct softening and pure frictional regions.     

On the influence of the gravity force on the stability of an inhomogeneous layer under biaxial extension-compression

In the present paper, in the framework of the three-dimensional nonlinear theory of elasticity, we study the stability of a heavy layer under biaxial extension-compression. The elastic properties of the layer are assumed to be inhomogeneous along thickness and are described by a semilinear material model. We study the stability by using the bifurcation approach. By solving the linearized equilibrium equations, we obtain the critical curves and the stability domain in the plane of the loading parameters, for which we take the material elongation ratios along the coordinate axes lying in the layer plane. We analyze the influence of the layer thickness, specific weight, and material parameters on buckling. In particular, we find that, when studying stability, it is expedient to take the gravity force into account only if the layer rigidity decreases with increasing depth.     

Constitutive modeling of fiber composites with a soft hyperelastic matrix

This paper presents an experimental and numerical study of unidirectional carbon fiber composites with a silicone matrix, loaded transversally to the fibers. The experiments show nonlinear behavior with significant strain softening under cyclic loading. The numerical study uses a plane-strain finite element continuum model of the composite material in which the fiber distribution is based on experimental observations and cohesive elements allow debonding to take place at the fiber/matrix interfaces. It is found that accurate estimates of the initial tangent stiffness measured in the experiments can be obtained without allowing for debonding, but this feature has to be included to capture the non-linear and strain-softening behavior.     

基于能量等效原理的应变局部化分析:Ⅰ.一维解析解

基于热力学第一定律和非局部塑性理论,提出了一种求解应变局部化问题的非局部方法.对材料的每一点定义了局部和非局部两种状态空间,局部状态空间的内变量通过非局部权函数映射到非局部空间,成为非局部内变量.在应变软化过程中,局部状态空间中的塑性变形服从正交流动法则,材料的软化律在非局部状态空间中被引入.通过两个状态空间的塑性应变能耗散率的等效,得到了应变软化过程中明确定义的局部化区域以及其中的塑性应变分布.应用本方法导出了一维应变局部化问题的解析解.解析解表明,应变局部化区域的尺寸只与材料内尺度有关;对于高斯型非局部权函数,局部化区域的尺寸大约是材料内尺度的6倍.一维算例表明,局部化区域的塑性应变分布以及载荷-位移曲线仅与材料参数和结构几何尺寸有关,变形局部化区域的尺寸随着材料内尺度的减小而减小,同时塑性应变也随着材料内尺度的减小变得更加集中.当内尺度趋近于零时,应用本文方法得到的解与采用传统的局部塑性理论得到的解相同.     

The remarkable nature of radially symmetric equilibrium states of aeolotropic nonlinearly elastic bodies

This paper treats the radially symmetric equilibrium states of aeolotropic nonlinearly elastic solid cylinders and balls under constant normal forces on their boundaries. It is shown that the aeolotropy gives rise to solutions describing both intact and cavitating states, which exhibit an array of remarkable new phenomena, not suggested by the solutions for isotropic bodies. E.g., it is shown that there are materials having a critical pressure such that for applied pressures on the boundary below the critical value, the normal pressures at the center of the body are zero and for applied pressures above the critical value, the normal pressures at the center are infinite. There are also materials for which there is no equilibrium state with center intact when the boundary is subjected to uniform tension. It is also shown that the equilibrium states treated here are the only radially symmetric equilibrium states. Thus the strange phenomena discovered here must be present in such stable equilibrium states.     

The dynamic response of a strain-softening beam

The dynamic response of a strain-softening beam subjected to a transverse impulsive on its tip is investigated. A softening moment-curvature relation is assumed for the beam and a closed form solution is obtained for a special kind of load, which shows that there exists a softening region in the beam and this region propagates along the beam. This result indicates that, except for the possible discrete softening points with rotation discontinuity caused by the deformation localization^[1], the existence of the softening region and its travelling along the beam are the essential features of the dynamic response of a strain-softening beam. The results also show that the failure of the beam should take place under a special load and the critical condition on which the dynamic failure occurs is given. The project supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China     

Stability of an elastic cube under dead loading: Two equal forces

A cube of incompressible neo-Hookean material undergoes a pure homogeneous deformation and is held in equilibrium by three specified pairs of equal and opposite forces, two of which are the same, applied normally to its faces and uniformly distributed over them. The possible equilibrium states are determined and the stability of each is studied with respect to arbitrary superposed infinitesimal deformations. The stability limits are found to be different from those obtained when only infinitesimal deformations having the same principal directions as those of the basic equilibrium state are considered. The differences arise from rotational and shearing types of instabilities that may occur in the general case. A critical inference is drawn concerning the nature of the dead loading conditions employed.     

On stability and non-uniqueness of the dilatation states of a compressible isotropic unit cube subjected to dead loading

This paper considers a unit elastic cube, made of compressible isotropic material, with its faces subjected to certain dead-load tractions that produce a possible equilibrium state of non-uniform dilatation. It is seen that, at the considered equilibrium state, the cube material acquires properties of pseudo-transverse isotropy. Conditions are obtained for the stability of such an equilibrium state with respect to superimposed pure homogeneous deformations having principal directions parallel to the cube edges. The problem of non-uniqueness of the cube dilatation states is also addressed, and non-uniqueness is illustrated in an example application dealing with an isotropic cube made of the Blatz-Ko material. The nature and the stability features of these equilibrium states are studied in depth.     

Unified elastoplastic finite difference and its application

Two elastoplastic constitutive models based on the unified strength theory (UST) are established and implemented in an explicit finite difference code, fast Lagrangian analysis of continua (FLAC/FLAC3D), which includes an associated/non-associated flow rule, strain-hardening/softening, and solutions of singularities. Those two constitutive models are appropriate for metallic and strength-different (SD) materials, respectively. Two verification examples are used to compare the computation results and test data using the two-dimensional finite difference code FLAC and the finite element code ANSYS, and the two constitutive models proposed in this paper are verified. Two application examples, the large deformation of a prismatic bar and the strain-softening behavior of soft rock under a complex stress state, are analyzed using the three-dimensional code FLAC3D. The two new elastoplastic constitutive models proposed in this paper can be used in bearing capacity evaluation or stability analysis of structures built of metallic or SD materials. The effect of the intermediate principal stress on metallic or SD material structures under complex stress states, including large deformation, three-dimensional and non-association problems, can be analyzed easily using the two constitutive models proposed in this paper.     

A scaling law for the effect of inertia on the formation of adiabatic shear bands

For a rigid/perfectly plastic material with linear thermal softening and power law rate hardening there is a competition between heat conduction and inertia in determining the time of shear band formation. In a finite specimen the nominal strain rate that produces the fastest growth of perturbations corresponds to the minimum critical strain. Similarly for a fixed strain rate in an infinite specimen, there is a finite wavelength with the maximum growth rate. It is argued that this wavelength should correspond to the most probable minimum spacing for shear bands.     

Interaction of an Ellipsoidal Inclusion with an Elliptic Crack in an Elastic Material under Triaxial Tension

The interaction of an elastic ellipsoidal inclusion with an elliptic crack in an infinite elastic medium under triaxial loading is analyzed. The stress state in the elastic space is represented as a superposition of the principal state and perturbed states, which are due to the presence and interaction of the inclusion and the crack. The analytical solution of the problem is found using the method of equivalent inclusion, the potential of an inhomogeneous ellipsoid, and a system of harmonic functions for an elliptic crack. The effect of triaxial loading on the stress intensity factors is analyzed