Energetic dislocation interactions and thermodynamical aspects of strain gradient crystal plasticity theories

This paper focuses on the unification of two frequently used and apparently different strain gradient crystal plasticity frameworks: (i) the physically motivated strain gradient crystal plasticity models proposed by Evers et al. [2004a. Non-local crystal plasticity model with intrinsic SSD and GND effects. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 52, 2379-2401; 2004b. Scale dependent crystal plasticity framework with dislocation density and grain boundary effects. International Journal of Solids and Structures 41, 5209-5230] and Bayley et al. [2006. A comparison of dislocation induced back stress formulations in strain gradient crystal plasticity. International Journal of Solids and Structure 43, 7268-7286; 2007. A three dimensional dislocation field crystal plasticity approach applied to miniaturized structures. Philosophical Magazine 87, 1361-1378] (here referred to as Evers-Bayley type models), where a physical back stress plays the most important role and which are further extended here to deal with truly large deformations, and (ii) the thermodynamically consistent strain gradient crystal plasticity model of Gurtin (2002-2008) (here referred to as the Gurtin type model), where the energetic part of a higher order micro-stress is derived from a non-standard free energy function. The energetic micro-stress vectors for the Gurtin type models are extracted from the definition of the back stresses of the improved Evers-Bayley type models. The possible defect energy forms that yield the derived physically based micro-stresses are discussed. The duality of both type of formulations is shown further by a comparison of the micro-boundary conditions. As a result, this paper provides a direct physical interpretation of the different terms present in Gurtin's model.     

Wedge indentation of thin films modelled by strain gradient plasticity

A plane strain study of wedge indentation of a thin film on a substrate is performed. The film is modelled with the strain gradient plasticity theory by Gudmundson [Gudmundson, P., 2004. A unified treatment of strain gradient plasticity. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 52, 1379–1406] and analysed using finite element simulations. Several trends that have been experimentally observed elsewhere are captured in the predictions of the mechanical behaviour of the thin film. Such trends include increased hardness at shallow depths due to gradient effects as well as increased hardness at larger depths due to the influence of the substrate. In between, a plateau is found which is observed to scale linearly with the material length scale parameter. It is shown that the degree of hardening of the material has a strong influence on the substrate effect, where a high hardening modulus gives a larger impact on this effect. Furthermore, pile-up deformation dominated by plasticity at small values of the internal length scale parameter is turned into sink-in deformation where plasticity is suppressed for larger values of the length scale parameter. Finally, it is demonstrated that the effect of substrate compliance has a significant effect on the hardness predictions if the effective stiffness of the substrate is of the same order as the stiffness of the film.     

Debonding failure and size effects in micro-reinforced composites

Failure in micro-reinforced composites is investigated numerically using the strain-gradient plasticity theory of Gudmundson [Gudmundson, P., 2004. A unified treatment of strain gradient plasticity. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 52 (6) 1379–1406] in a plane strain visco-plastic formulation. Bi-axially loaded unit cells are used and failure is modeled using a cohesive zone at the reinforcement interface. During debonding a sudden stress drop in the overall average stress–strain response is observed. Adaptive higher-order boundary conditions are imposed at the reinforcement interface for realistically modeling the restrictions on moving dislocations as debonding occurs. It is found that the influence of the imposed higher-order boundary conditions at the interface is minor. If strain-gradient effects are accounted for a void with a smooth shape develops at the reinforcement interface while a smaller void having a sharp tip nucleates if strain-gradient effects are excluded. Using orthogonalization of the plastic strain gradient with three corresponding material length scales it is found that, the first length scale dominates the evaluated overall average stress–strain response, the second one only has a small effect and the third one has an intermediate effect. Finally, studies of reinforcement having elliptical cross-sections show rather significant gradients of stress which is not seen for the corresponding circular cross-sections. Also, an increased drop in the overall load carrying capacity is observed for cross-sections elongated perpendicular to the principal tensile direction compared to the corresponding circular cross-sections.     

Size-dependent yield strength of thin films

Biaxial strain and pure shear of a thin film are analysed using a strain gradient plasticity theory presented by Gudmundson [Gudmundson, P., 2004. A unified treatment of strain gradient plasticity. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 52, 1379–1406]. Constitutive equations are formulated based on the assumption that the free energy only depends on the elastic strain and that the dissipation is influenced by the plastic strain gradients. The three material length scale parameters controlling the gradient effects in a general case are here represented by a single one. Boundary conditions for plastic strains are formulated in terms of a surface energy that represents dislocation buildup at an elastic/plastic interface. This implies constrained plastic flow at the interface and it enables the simulation of interfaces with different constitutive properties. The surface energy is also controlled by a single length scale parameter, which together with the material length scale defines a particular material.Numerical results reveal that a boundary layer is developed in the film for both biaxial and shear loading, giving rise to size effects. The size effects are strongly connected to the buildup of surface energy at the interface. If the interface length scale is small, the size effect vanishes. For a stiffer interface, corresponding to a non-vanishing surface energy at the interface, the yield strength is found to scale with the inverse of film thickness.Numerical predictions by the theory are compared to different experimental data and to dislocation dynamics simulations. Estimates of material length scale parameters are presented.     

A theory of strain-gradient plasticity for isotropic, plastically irrotational materials. Part II: Finite deformations

This paper generalizes to finite deformations our companion paper [Gurtin, M.E., Anand, L., 2004. A theory of strain-gradient plasticity for isotropic, plastically irrotational materials. Part I: Small deformations. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, submitted]. Specifically, we develop a gradient theory for finite-deformation isotropic viscoplasticity in the absence of plastic spin. The theory is based on the Kröner–Lee decomposition F = F^eF^p of the deformation gradient into elastic and plastic parts; a system of microstresses consistent with a microforce balance; a mechanical version of the second law that includes, via microstresses, work performed during viscoplastic flow; a constitutive theory that allows:

• the microstresses to depend on D^p, the gradient of the plastic stretching,

• the free energy ψ to depend on the Burgers tensor G = F^pCurlF^p.

The microforce balance when augmented by constitutive relations for the microstresses results in a nonlocal flow rule in the form of a tensorial second-order partial differential equation for F^p. The microstresses are strictly dissipative when ψ is independent of the Burgers tensor, but when ψ depends on G the microstresses are partially energetic, and this, in turn, leads to backstresses and (hence) Bauschinger-effects in the flow rule. The typical macroscopic boundary conditions are supplemented by nonstandard microscopic boundary conditions associated with viscoplastic flow, and, as an aid to numerical solution, a weak (virtual power) formulation of the nonlocal flow rule is derived. Finally, the dependences of the microstresses on D^p are shown, analytically, to result in strengthening and possibly weakening of the body induced by viscoplastic flow.     

Modeling of polycrystals using a gradient crystal plasticity theory that includes dissipative micro-stresses

This study investigates thermodynamically consistent dissipative hardening in gradient crystal plasticity in a large-deformation context. A viscoplastic model which accounts for constitutive dependence on the slip, the slip gradient as well as the slip rate gradient is presented. The model is an extension of that due to Gurtin (Gurtin, M. E., J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 52 (2004) 2545–2568 and Gurtin, M. E., J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 56 (2008) 640–662)), and is guided by the viscoplastic model and algorithm of Ekh et al. (Ekh, M., Grymer, M., Runesson, K. and Svedberg, T., Int. J. Numer. Meths Engng, 72 (2007) 197–220) whose governing equations are equivalent to those of Gurtin for the purely energetic case. In contrast to the Gurtin formulation and in line with that due to Ekh et al., viscoplasticity in the present model is accounted for through a Perzyna-type regularization. The resulting theory includes three different types of hardening: standard isotropic hardening is incorporated as well as energetic hardening driven by the slip gradient. In addition, as a third type, dissipative hardening associated with plastic strain rate gradients is included. Numerical computations are carried out and discussed for the large strain, viscoplastic model with non-zero dissipative backstress.     

Size effects in the conical indentation of an elasto-plastic solid

The size effect in conical indentation of an elasto-plastic solid is predicted via the Fleck and Willis formulation of strain gradient plasticity (Fleck, N.A. and Willis, J.R., 2009, A mathematical basis for strain gradient plasticity theory. Part II: tensorial plastic multiplier, J. Mech. Phys. Solids, 57, 1045–1057). The rate-dependent formulation is implemented numerically and the full-field indentation problem is analyzed via finite element calculations, for both ideally plastic behavior and dissipative hardening. The isotropic strain-gradient theory involves three material length scales, and the relative significance of these length scales upon the degree of size effect is assessed. Indentation maps are generated to summarize the sensitivity of indentation hardness to indent size, indenter geometry and material properties (such as yield strain and strain hardening index). The finite element model is also used to evaluate the pertinence of the Johnson cavity expansion model and of the Nix–Gao model, which have been extensively used to predict size effects in indentation hardness.     

Viscoplastic approach for rate-dependent failure analysis of concrete joints and interfaces

In this work, a new rate-dependent interface model for computational analysis of quasi-brittle materials like concrete is presented. The model is formulated on the basis of the inviscid elastoplastic model by [Carol, I., Prat, P.C., López, C.M., 1997. “A normal/shear cracking model. Interface implementation for discrete analysis”. Journal of Engineering Mechanics, ASCE, 123 (8), pp. 765–773.]. The rate-dependent extension follows the continuous form of the classical viscoplastic theory by [Perzyna, P., 1966. “Fundamental problems in viscoplasticity”. Advances in Applied Mechanics, 9, pp. 244–368.]. According to [Ponthot, J.P., 1995. “Radial return extensions for viscoplasticity and lubricated friction”. In: Proceedings of International Conference on Structural Mechanics and Reactor Technology SMIRT-13, Porto Alegre, Brazil, (2), pp. 711–722.] and [Etse, G., Carosio, A., 2002. “Diffuse and localized failure predictions of Perzyna viscoplastic models for cohesive-frictional materials”. Latin American Applied Research (32), pp. 21–31.] it includes a consistency parameter and a generalized yield condition for the viscoplastic range that allows an straightforward extension of the full backward Euler method for viscoplastic materials. This approach improves the accuracy and stability of the numerical solution. The model predictions are tested against experimental results on mortar and concrete specimens that cover different stress paths at different strain rates. The results in this work demonstrate, on one hand, the capabilities of the proposed elasto–viscoplastic interface constitutive formulation to predict the rate-dependency of mortar and concrete failure behavior, and, on the other hand, the efficiency of the numerical algorithms developed for the computational implementation of the model that include the consistent tangent operator to improve the convergence rate at the finite element level.     

Strain gradient crystal plasticity effects on flow localization

In metal grains one of the most important failure mechanisms involves shear band localization. As the band width is small, the deformations are affected by material length scales. To study localization in single grains a rate-dependent crystal plasticity formulation for finite strains is presented for metals described by the reformulated Fleck–Hutchinson strain gradient plasticity theory. The theory is implemented numerically within a finite element framework using slip rate increments and displacement increments as state variables. The formulation reduces to the classical crystal plasticity theory in the absence of strain gradients. The model is used to study the effect of an internal material length scale on the localization of plastic flow in shear bands in a single crystal under plane strain tension. It is shown that the mesh sensitivity is removed when using the nonlocal material model considered. Furthermore, it is illustrated how different hardening functions affect the formation of shear bands.     

A finite-deformation,gradient theory of single-crystal plasticity with free energy dependent on densities of geometrically necessary dislocations

This paper develops a finite-deformation, gradient theory of single crystal plasticity. The theory is based on a system of microscopic force balances, one balance for each slip system, derived from the principle of virtual power, and a mechanical version of the second law that includes, via the microscopic forces, work performed during plastic flow. When combined with thermodynamically consistent constitutive relations the microscopic force balances become flow rules for the individual slip systems. Because these flow rules are in the form of partial differential equations requiring boundary conditions, they are nonlocal. The chief new ingredient in the theory is a free energy dependent on (geometrically necessary) edge and screw dislocation-densities as introduced in Gurtin [Gurtin, 2006. The Burgers vector and the flow of screw and edge dislocations in finite-deformation plasticity. Journal of Mechanics and Physics of Solids 54, 1882].     

The equivalent axisymmetric model for Berkovich indenters in power-law hardening materials

Nix and Gio [Nix, W.D., Gao, H.J., 1998. Indentation size effects in crystalline materials: a law for strain gradient plasticity. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 46, 411–425] established an important relation between the micro-indentation hardness and indentation depth for axisymmetric indenters. For the Berkovich indenter, however, this relation requires an equivalent cone angle. Qin et al. [Qin, J., Huang, Y., Xiao, J., Hwang, K.C., 2009. The equivalence of axisymmetric indentation model for three-dimensional indentation hardness. Journal of Materials Research 24, 776–783] showed that the widely used equivalent cone angle from the criterion of equal base area leads to significant errors in micro-indentation, and proposed a new equivalence of equal cone angle for iridium. It is shown in this paper that this new equivalence holds for a wide range of plastic work hardening materials. In addition, the prior equal-base-area criterion does not hold because the Berkovich indenter gives much higher density of geometrically necessary dislocations than axisymmetric indenter. The equivalence of equal cone angle, however, does not hold for Vickers indenter.     

On internal dissipation inequalities and finite strain inelastic constitutive laws: Theoretical and numerical comparisons

Internal dissipation always occurs in irreversible inelastic deformation processes of materials. The internal dissipation inequalities (specific mathematical forms of the second law of thermodynamics) determine the evolution direction of inelastic processes. Based on different internal dissipation inequalities several finite strain inelastic constitutive laws have been formulated for instance by Simo [Simo, J.C., 1992. Algorithms for static and dynamic multiplicative plasticity that preserve the classical return mapping schemes of the infinitesimal theory. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 99, 61–112]; Simo and Miehe [Simo, J.C., Miehe, C., 1992. Associative coupled thermoplasticity at finite strains: formulation, numerical analysis and implementation. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 98, 41–104]; Lion [Lion, A., 1997. A physically based method to represent the thermo-mechanical behavior of elastomers. Acta Mechanica 123, 1–25]; Reese and Govindjee [Reese, S., Govindjee, S., 1998. A theory of finite viscoelasticity and numerical aspects. International Journal of Solids and Structures 35, 3455–3482]; Lin and Schomburg [Lin, R.C., Schomburg, U., 2003. A finite elastic–viscoelastic–elastoplastic material law with damage: theoretical and numerical aspects. Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering 192, 1591–1627]; Lin and Brocks [Lin, R.C., Brocks, W., 2004. On a finite strain viscoplastic theory based on a new internal dissipation inequality. International Journal of Plasticity 20, 1281–1311]; and Lin and Brocks [Lin, R.C., Brocks, W., 2005. An extended Chaboche’s viscoplastic law at finite strains: theoretical and numerical aspects. Journal of Materials Science and Technology 21, 145–147]. These constitutive laws are consistent with the second law of thermodynamics. As the internal dissipation inequalities are described in different configurations or coordinate systems, the related constitutive laws are also formulated in the corresponding configurations or coordinate systems. Mathematically, these constitutive laws have very different formulations. Now, a question is whether the constitutive laws provide identical constitutive responses for the same inelastic constitutive problems. In the present work, four types of finite strain viscoelastic and endochronically plastic laws as well as three types of J₂-plasticity laws are formulated based on four types of dissipation inequalities. Then, they are numerically compared for several problems of homogeneous or complex finite deformations. It is demonstrated that for the same inelastic constitutive problem the stress responses are identical for deformation processes without rotations. In the simple shear deformation process with large rotation, the presented viscoelastic and endochronically plastic laws also show almost identical stress responses up to a shear strain of about 100%. The three laws of J₂-plasticity also produce the same shear stresses up to a shear strain of 100%, while different normal stresses are generated even at infinitesimal shear strains. The three J₂-plasticity laws are also compared at three complex finite deformation processes: billet upsetting, cylinder necking and channel forming. For the first two deformation processes similar constitutive responses are obtained, whereas for the third deformation process (with large global rotations) significant differences of constitutive responses can be observed.     

An explicit formulation for multiscale modeling of bcc metals

Many materials for specialized applications exhibit a body-centered cubic structure; e.g., tantalum, vanadium, barium and chromium. In addition, the successful modeling of body-centered cubic (bcc) metals is a necessary step toward modeling of common structural materials such as iron. Implicit formulations for this class of materials exist [e.g., Stainier, L., Cuitiño, A., Ortiz, M., 2002. A micromechanical model of hardening, rate sensitivity, and thermal softening in bcc crystals. Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids 50 (7), 1511–1545; Kuchnicki, S., Radovitzky, R., Cuitiño, A., Strachan, A., Ortiz, M., 2007. A pressure-dependent multiscale model for bcc metals], but are impractical to resolve large-scale dynamic deformation processes. In this article, we describe a procedure analogous to Kuchnicki et al. [Kuchnicki, S., Cuitiño, A., Radovitzky, R., 2006. Efficient and robust constitutive integrators for single-crystal plasticity modeling. International Journal of Plasticity 22 (10), 1988–2011]. wherein we construct an explicit formulation for the multiscale physics models. This update is based on the model of Kuchnicki et al. (in preparation) using a power law representation for the plastic slip rates. The existing implicit form of the model provides qualitative matching with experiments at quasi-static strain rates. The model is recast in an explicit form and applied first to a high quasi-static strain rate to verify that the two forms of the model return similar predictions for similar input parameters. The explicit model is also applied to several high strain rates, showing that it captures characteristic features observed in experimental tests of high-rate deformations, such as the drop in stress immediately after yield that is present in split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) experiments. This test provides qualitative evidence that the model is suitable for high-strain-rate applications. The utility of the model is further demonstrated by a one-dimensional simulation of a SHPB test. Finally, a test case modeling pressure impact of a Tantalum plate using 600,000 elements is shown. The simulations show that the explicit model is capable of recovering the salient features of the experiments while integrating the constitutive update in a robust manner.     

Strain gradient effects on microscopic strain field in a metal matrix composite

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the improved modeling accuracy of a finite-deformation strain gradient crystal plasticity formulation over its classical counterpart by conducting a joint experimental and numerical investigation of the microscopic details of the deformation of a whisker-reinforced metal-matrix composite. The lattice rotation distribution around whiskers is obtained in thin foils using a TEM technique and is then correlated with numerical predictions based on finite element analyses of a unit-cell of a single crystal matrix containing a rigid whisker. The matrix material is first characterized by a classical, scale-independent crystal plasticity theory. It is found that the classical theory predicts a lattice rotation distribution with a spatial gradient much higher than experimentally measured. A strain gradient crystal plasticity formulation is then applied to model the matrix. The strain gradient formulation accounts for both strain hardening and strain gradient hardening. The deformation thus predicted exhibits a strong dependence on the size of the whisker. For a constitutive length scale comparable to the whisker diameter, the spatial gradient of the lattice rotation is several times lower than that predicted by the classical theory, and hence correlates significantly better with the experimental results.     

Size-effects in plane strain sheet-necking

A finite strain generalization of the strain gradient plasticity theory by Fleck and Hutchinson (J. Mech. Phys. Solids 49 (2001a) 2245) is proposed and used to study size effects in plane strain necking of thin sheets using the finite element method. Both sheets with rigid grips at the ends and specimens with shear free ends are analyzed. The strain gradient plasticity theory predicts delayed onset of localization when compared to conventional theory, and it depresses deformation localization in the neck. The sensitivity to imperfections is analyzed as well as differently hardening materials.     

A conventional theory of mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity

There exist two frameworks of strain gradient plasticity theories to model size effects observed at the micron and sub-micron scales in experiments. The first framework involves the higher-order stress and therefore requires extra boundary conditions, such as the theory of mechanism-based strain gradient (MSG) plasticity [J Mech Phys Solids 47 (1999) 1239; J Mech Phys Solids 48 (2000) 99; J Mater Res 15 (2000) 1786] established from the Taylor dislocation model. The other framework does not involve the higher-order stress, and the strain gradient effect come into play via the incremental plastic moduli. A conventional theory of mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity is established in this paper. It is also based on the Taylor dislocation model, but it does not involve the higher-order stress and therefore falls into the second strain gradient plasticity framework that preserves the structure of conventional plasticity theories. The plastic strain gradient appears only in the constitutive model, and the equilibrium equations and boundary conditions are the same as the conventional continuum theories. It is shown that the difference between this theory and the higher-order MSG plasticity theory based on the same dislocation model is only significant within a thin boundary layer of the solid.     

STABILITY AND TRANSITION TO TURBULENCE IN BOUNDARY LAYERS WITH A PRESSURE GRADIENT OVER A COMPLIANT MONOLITHIC COATING

Journal of Applied Mechanics and Technical Physics - This paper describes the study of a linear formulation of a problem of stability of boundary layers with a pressure gradient, which are...     

Bounds and estimates for the effect of strain gradients upon the effective plastic properties of an isotropic two-phase composite

Predictions are made for the size effect on strength of a random, isotropic two-phase composite. Each phase is treated as an isotropic, elastic-plastic solid, with a response described by a modified deformation theory version of the Fleck-Hutchinson strain gradient plasticity formulation (Fleck and Hutchinson, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 49 (2001) 2245). The essential feature of the new theory is that the plastic strain tensor is treated as a primary unknown on the same footing as the displacement. Minimum principles for the energy and for the complementary energy are stated for a composite, and these lead directly to elementary bounds analogous to those of Reuss and Voigt. For the case of a linear hardening solid, Hashin-Shtrikman bounds and self-consistent estimates are derived. A non-linear variational principle is constructed by generalising that of Ponte Castañeda (J. Mech. Phys. Solids 40 (1992) 1757). The minimum principle is used to derive an upper bound, a lower estimate and a self-consistent estimate for the overall plastic response of a statistically homogeneous and isotropic strain gradient composite. Sample numerical calculations are performed to explore the dependence of the macroscopic uniaxial response upon the size scale of the microstructure, and upon the relative volume fraction of the two phases.     

INVESTIGATION OF NONLINEAR DEFORMATION AND STABILITY OF A COMPOSITE SHELL UNDER PURE BENDING AND INTERNAL PRESSURE

Journal of Applied Mechanics and Technical Physics - The finite element method is used to obtain solutions to problems of strength and stability of reinforced cylindrical shells made of composite...