Identification of a free boundary in Norton–Hoff flows with thermal effects

This work deals with a free boundary identification problem in a steady viscoplastic flow. We provide a novel identification model based on a non-linear optimization. The fluid motion is governed by the incompressible Norton–Hoff model coupled with the heat equation. The viscosity of the fluid is modeled by the non-linear Arrhenius law. Our point of view is to treat the problem as a shape sensitivity of a cost functional formulated on the free boundary and governed by the normal component of the velocity of the flow. We analyze the mathematical statement of the forward problem. The equations related to the free boundary are simplified. Various properties of this optimization are proved. Since the state of Norton–Hoff model is not regular enough we introduce a parameter penalization. The shape gradient of the considered cost functional is given in the strong sense up to the parameter of penalization. We supply the expression of the shape gradient in a weak sense.     

On the influence of local fluctuations in volume fraction of constituents on the effective properties of nonlinear composites. Application to porous materials

Composite materials often exhibit local fluctuations in the volume fraction of their individual constituents. This paper studies the influence of such small fluctuations on the effective properties of composites. A general asymptotic expansion of these properties in terms of powers of the amplitude of the fluctuations is given first. Then, this general result is applied to porous materials.As is well-known, the effective yield surface of ductile voided materials is accurately described by Gurson's criterion. Suitable extensions for viscoplastic solids have also been proposed. The question addressed in the present study pertains to nonuniform distributions of voids in a typical volume element or in other words to the presence of matrix-rich and pore-rich zones in the material. It is shown numerically and analytically that such deviations from a uniform distribution result in a weakening of the macroscopic carrying capacity of the material.     

Adhesive contact problem for viscoplastic materials

We examine a mathematical model that describes a quasistatic adhesive contact between a viscoplastic body and deformable foundation. The material’s behaviour is described by the rate-type constitutive law which involves functions with a non-polynomial growth. The contact is modelled by the normal compliance condition with limited penetration and adhesion, a subdifferential friction condition also depending on adhesion, and the evolution of bonding field is governed by an ordinary differential equation. We present the variational formulation of this problem which is a system of an almost history-dependent variational–hemivariational inequality for the displacement field and an ordinary differential equation for the bonding field. The results on existence and uniqueness of solution to an abstract almost history-dependent inclusion and variational–hemivariational inequality in the reflexive Orlicz–Sobolev space are proved and applied to the adhesive contact problem.     

Heterogeneous deformation in ductile FCC single crystals in biaxial stretching: the influence of slip system interactions

The heterogeneity of deformation in ductile FCC single crystals is investigated by both numerical simulations and an analytic approach. The constitutive behaviour is based on a generalized storage recovery model and takes into account the interactions between slip systems previously obtained by dislocation dynamics simulations. In biaxial stretching, the simulations show the activation of a large number of slip systems and their localization in mutually excluding zones. As a result, a microstructure of lamellar type is formed in the early stages of the deformation. These numerical results are complemented by a linear stability analysis showing that the heterogeneous deformation pattern is triggered by instability modes of the single crystal. Furthermore, the interaction matrix is playing a key role as the partition is found to originate from slip system interactions. The partition is driven by the strongest interaction, which is in most cases the collinear interaction. A comparison with an experimental study in simple shear yields useful information about how to check the respective strength of some interactions. The collinear interaction is not involved in that case, but its effect can be verified by reproducing the experiment on a crystal with a different orientation.     

Very slow flow of Bingham viscoplastic fluid around a circular cylinder

Numerical simulations have been used to study the flow of a Bingham viscoplastic fluid around a circular cylinder in an infinite medium with negligible inertia effects. Papanastasiou's regularisation technique has been adopted to approximate the model. The case corresponding to preponderant plasticity effects has been particularly studied and convergence of the solutions examined in detail. The flow kinematics and stresses have been determined. The rigid zones have been identified and characterised. At large Oldroyd numbers, when plasticity effects become preponderant, a viscoplastic boundary layer appears around the cylinder. The characteristics of this viscoplastic boundary layer are quantified. The results are compared with existing theoretical results, concerning particularly the predictions of the viscoplastic boundary layer theory and the plasticity theory.     

Creeping flow of viscoplastic materials through a planar expansion followed by a contraction

In this work, the creeping flow of a viscoplastic fluid through a planar channel with an expansion followed by a contraction is analyzed numerically. The solution of the conservation equations of mass and momentum is obtained via the finite volume method. In order to model the non-Newtonian behavior of the fluid, it was used the generalized Newtonian fluid constitutive equation. The viscosity function was the one proposed by Souza Mendes and Dutra [Souza Mendes, P.R., Dutra, E.S.S., 2004. Viscosity function for yield-stress liquids. Appl. Rheol. 14, 296–302]. The yielded and unyielded regions are obtained for several combinations of rheological parameters. The influence of these parameters on pressure drop through the cavity is also obtained and analyzed.     

Dislocation-based micropolar single crystal plasticity: Comparison of multi- and single criterion theories

Two new formulations of micropolar single crystal plasticity are presented within a geometrically linear setting. The construction of yield criteria and flow rules for generalized continuum theories with higher-order stresses can be done in one of two ways: (i) a single criterion can be introduced in terms of a combined equivalent stress and inelastic rate or (ii) or individual criteria can be specified for each conjugate stress/inelastic kinematic rate pair, a so-called multi-criterion theory. Both single and multi-criterion theories are developed and discussed within the context of dislocation-based constitutive models. Parallels and distinctions are made between the proposed theories and some of the alternative generalized crystal plasticity models that can be found in the literature. Parametric numerical simulations of a constrained thin film subjected to simple shear are conducted via finite element analysis using a simplified 2-D version of the fully 3-D theory to highlight the influence of specific model components on the resulting deformation under both loading and unloading conditions. The deformation behavior is quantified in terms of the average stress-strain response and the local shear strain and geometrically necessary dislocation density distributions. It is demonstrated that micropolar single crystal plasticity can qualitatively capture the same range of behaviors as slip gradient-based models, while offering a simpler numerical implementation and without introducing plastic slip rates as generalized traction-conjugate velocities subject to an additional microforce balance.     

A viscoplastic study of crack-tip deformation and crack growth in a nickel-based superalloy at elevated temperature

Viscoplastic crack-tip deformation behaviour in a nickel-based superalloy at elevated temperature has been studied for both stationary and growing cracks in a compact tension (CT) specimen using the finite element method. The material behaviour was described by a unified viscoplastic constitutive model with non-linear kinematic and isotropic hardening rules, and implemented in the finite element software ABAQUS via a user-defined material subroutine (UMAT). Finite element analyses for stationary cracks showed distinctive strain ratchetting behaviour near the crack tip at selected load ratios, leading to progressive accumulation of tensile strain normal to the crack-growth plane. Results also showed that low frequencies and superimposed hold periods at peak loads significantly enhanced strain accumulation at crack tip. Finite element simulation of crack growth was carried out under a constant ΔK-controlled loading condition, again ratchetting was observed ahead of the crack tip, similar to that for stationary cracks.A crack-growth criterion based on strain accumulation is proposed where a crack is assumed to grow when the accumulated strain ahead of the crack tip reaches a critical value over a characteristic distance. The criterion has been utilized in the prediction of crack-growth rates in a CT specimen at selected loading ranges, frequencies and dwell periods, and the predictions were compared with the experimental results.