Fracture analysis in the conventional theory of mechanism-based strain gradient (CMSG) plasticity

In a remarkable series of experiments, Elssner et al. (1994) and Korn et al. (2002) observed cleavage cracking along a bimaterial interface between Nb and sapphire. The stress required for cleavage cracking is around the theoretical strength of the material. Classical plasticity models fall short to reach such a high stress level. We use the conventional theory of mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity (Huang et al., 2004) to investigate the stress field around the tip of an interface crack between Nb and sapphire. The tensile stress at a distance of 0.1 m to the interface crack tip reaches 13.3_Y, where _Y is the yield stress of Nb. This stress is nearly 4 times of that predicted by classical plasticity theory (3.6_Y) at the same distance to the crack tip, and is high enough to trigger cleavage cracking in materials and interfaces. This is consistent with Elssner et al.'s (1994) and Korn et al.'s (2002) experimental observations.     

An implicit BEM formulation for gradient plasticity and localization phenomena

The aim of this paper is to discuss a boundary element formulation for non‐linear structural problems involving localization phenomena. In order to overcome the well‐known mesh dependency observed in local plasticity, a gradient plasticity model is used. An implicit boundary element formulation is proposed and the underlying consistent tangent operator defined. This formulation is based on the classical displacement and strain integral representations combined with an integral representation of the plastic multiplier. First numerical examples are presented to illustrate the application of the method. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Theory and numerics of a thermodynamically consistent framework for geometrically linear gradient plasticity

The paper presents the theory and the numerics of a thermodynamically consistent formulation of gradient plasticity at small strains. Starting from the classical local continuum formulation, which fails to produce physically meaningful and numerically converging results within localization computations, a thermodynamically motivated gradient plasticity formulation is envisioned. The model is based on an assumption for the Helmholtz free energy incorporating the gradient of the internal history variable, a yield condition and the postulate of maximum dissipation resulting in an associated structure. As a result the driving force conjugated to the hardening evolution is identified as the quasi‐non‐local drag stress which incorporates besides the strictly local drag stress essentially the divergence of a vectorial hardening flux. At the numerical side, besides the balance of linear momentum, the algorithmic consistency condition has to be solved in weak form. Thereby, the crucial issue is the determination of the active constraints exhibiting plastic loading which is solved by an active set search algorithm borrowed from convex non‐linear programming. Moreover, different discretization techniques are proposed in order to compare the FE‐performance in local plasticity with the advocated gradient formulation both for hardening and softening. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Finite element implementation of large deformation micropolar plasticity exhibiting isotropic and kinematic hardening effects

Micropolar theories offer a possibility to model size effects in the constitutive behaviour of materials. Typical feature of such models is that they deal with a microrotation, which is supposed to represent an independent state variable, and its space gradient. As a consequence, the stress tensor is no longer symmetric and couple stresses enter the theory. Accordingly, a micropolar plasticity law exhibiting kinematic hardening effects should account for both, a back‐stress tensor and a back‐couple stress tensor. This has been considered in the micropolar plasticity model developed by Grammenoudis and Tsakmakis. The purpose of the current paper is to specify some constitutive functions in this model, to elucidate the finite element implementation as well as to demonstrate its capabilities in describing size effects. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

晶体塑性模型描述多晶体循环加载中的Bauschinger效应

为了研究循环加载过程中织构对多晶材料Baushinger效应的影响,利用经典晶体塑性模型及含随动硬化的晶体塑性模型模拟AA6104铝合金循环加载力学行为.研究了多晶体中晶粒取向差异对材料宏观塑性行为的影响.详细分析了经典晶体塑性模型可描述多晶体循环加载Bauschinger效应机理,定量分析了多晶有限元模型中晶体取向差异对模拟结果的影响.结果表明多晶体中由于晶粒取向差异而造成的晶粒间相互作用力使得多晶体模型宏观卸载时晶粒内的残余应力是产生Bauschinger效应的主要原因,采用含随动硬化的晶体塑性模型能够较好地模拟具有织构的AA6014铝合金的循环加载过程.     

Mixed variational principles and robust finite element implementations of gradient plasticity at small strains

This work outlines a theoretical and computational framework of gradient plasticity based on a rigorous exploitation of mixed variational principles. In contrast to classical local approaches to plasticity based on locally evolving internal variables, order parameter fields are taken into account governed by additional balance‐type PDEs including micro‐structural boundary conditions. This incorporates non‐local plastic effects based on length scales, which reflect properties of the material micro‐structure. We develop a unified variational framework based on mixed saddle point principles for the evolution problem of gradient plasticity, which is outlined for the simple model problem of von Mises plasticity with gradient‐extended hardening/softening response. The mixed variational structure includes the hardening/softening variable itself as well as its dual driving force. The numerical implementation exploits the underlying variational structure, yielding a canonical symmetric structure of the monolithic problem. It results in a novel finite element (FE) design of the coupled problem incorporating a long‐range hardening/softening parameter and its dual driving force. This allows a straightforward local definition of plastic loading‐unloading driven by the long‐range fields, providing very robust FE implementations of gradient plasticity. This includes a rational method for the definition of elastic‐plastic‐boundaries in gradient plasticity along with a post‐processor that defines the plastic variables in the elastic range. We discuss alternative mixed FE designs of the coupled problem, including a local‐global solution strategy of short‐range and long‐range fields. This includes several new aspects, such as extended Q1P0‐type and Mini‐type finite elements for gradient plasticity. All methods are derived in a rigorous format from variational principles. Numerical benchmarks address advantages and disadvantages of alternative FE designs, and provide a guide for the evaluation of simple and robust schemes for variational gradient plasticity. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Implementation of an algorithm for general material behavior of steel taking interaction between plasticity and transformation‐induced plasticity into account

In this article a semi‐implicit algorithm (predictor–corrector approach) for incorporating the interaction between plasticity and transformation‐induced plasticity (TRIP) in steel is developed. Contrary to the usual elasto‐plasticity, the underlying model of material behavior of steel is far more complex. The interaction between plasticity and TRIP requires extensions of algorithms developed in Doghri (Int. J. Numer. Meth. Engng 1993; 36 :3915–3932) and in Mahnken (Commun. Numer. Meth. Engng 1999; 15 :745–754). A particular feature of the algorithm is that the inner iteration can be reduced to a single scalar equation. Numerical examples illustrate the algorithm's capabilities. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Bridging strain gradient elasticity and plasticity toward general loading histories

The Fleck–Hutchinson theory on strain gradient plasticity (SGP), proposed in Fleck and Hutchinson (1997), has been reformulated by adopting the strategy of decomposing the second order strain presented by Lam et al. (2003). This study attempts to build a SGP framework for general loading histories which has yet been well addressed. The main features of this study include: (1) The total number of the elastic characteristic length scales has been reduced from 5 to 3; (2) The anti-symmetric part of the rotational gradient has been found to have no influence on SGP; (3) The established SGP flow theory is characterized by its strict correspondence to the conventional J2 plasticity. This thermodynamically acceptable reformulation has been proven to satisfy the nonnegativity of plastic dissipation, which is still an outstanding issue in other SGP theories. It explicitly shows how elastic strain gradients and corresponding elastic characteristic length scales come into play in general elastic–plastic loading histories. Another feature of the present SGP formation is the exclusion of plastic strain-related boundary conditions which believably will facilitate SGP applications significantly.     

Numerical strategies for variational updates in large strain inelasticity with incompressibility constraint

In finite deformation inelasticity, one often has to deal with the incompressibility constraint. In the past, this was dealt with using, for example, an exponential mapping approach, which yields exact volume preservation in plastic deformations. In this article however, the special-linear update approach by Hurtado et al. The special-linear update: An application of differential manifold theory to the update of isochoric plasticity flow rules, Int J Numer Methods Eng. 2014;97(4):298-312, which utilizes a projection method to fulfill the incompressibility constraint is used. The model is applied to isotropic plasticity by a novel approximation of the logarithm and treats kinematic hardening without losing the symmetry of the internal variables. The model results are compared to models utilizing an exponential mapping approach in numerical experiments.     

Size effects in phenomenological strain gradient plasticity constitutively involving the plastic spin

In the small deformation range, we consider and discuss the phenomenological (or isotropic) “higher-order” theory of strain gradient plasticity put forward in Section 12 of Gurtin [1], which includes the dissipation due to the plastic spin through a material parameter called χ. In fact, χ weighs the square of the plastic spin rate into the definition of an effective measure of plastic flow peculiar of the isotropic hardening function. Such a model has been identified by Bardella [2] as a good isotropic approximation of a crystal model to describe the multislip behaviour of a single grain, provided that χ be set as a specific function of other material parameters involved in the modelling, including the length scales. The main feature of the underlying gradient approach is the accounting for both dissipative and energetic strain gradient dependences, with related size effects. The dissipative strain gradients enter the model through the definition of the above mentioned effective measure of plastic flow, whereas the energetic strain gradients are involved in the modelling by defining the defect energy, a function of Nye’s dislocation density tensor added to the free energy to account for geometrically necessary dislocations (see, e.g., Gurtin [1]). By exploiting the deformation theory approximation, we apply the model to a simple boundary value problem so that we can discuss the effects of (a) the criterium derived by Bardella [2] for choosing χ and (b) non-quadratic forms of the defect energy. We show that both χ and the nonlinearity chosen for the defect energy strongly affect quality and magnitude of the energetic size effect which is possible to predict.     

Efficient iteration schemes for anisotropic hyperelasto‐plasticity

Numerical issues arising when integrating hyperelasto‐plastic constitutive equations with elastic anisotropy, stemming from anisotropic damage, and plastic anisotropy as represented by kinematic hardening are discussed. In particular, solution algorithms for the corresponding non‐linear system of equations due to implicit integration algorithms are addressed. It is shown that algorithms like staggered iteration and quasi‐Newton techniques are superior to a pure Newton technique when the cpu time is compared. However, the drawback of the staggered and the quasi‐Newton technique is that rather small time steps must be taken to ensure convergence, which can be of importance when applying complex constitutive models in a finite element programme. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The boundary-layer effect on the crack tip field in mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity

The theory of mechanism-based strain gradient (MSG) plasticity involves two material length parameters, namely the intrinsic material length land the mesoscale cell size l , which are on the order of a few microns and 0.1 m, respectively. Prior studies suggest that l has essentially no effect on the macroscopic quantities, but it may affect the local stress distribution. We demonstrate in this paper that there is a boundary layer effect associated with l in MSG plasticity, and the thickness of the boundary layer is on the order of   l ² big/l. By neglecting this boundary layer effect, a stress-dominated asymptotic field around a crack tip in MSG plasticity is obtained. This asymptotic field is valid at a distance to the crack tip between l and l(i.e., from 0.1 m to a few microns). The stress in this asymptotic field has an approximate singularity of r ^–2/3, which is more singular than not only the HRR field in classical plasticity but also the classical elastic Kfield (r ^–1/2). The stress level in this asymptotic field is two to three times higher than the HRR field, which provides an alternative mechanism for cleavage fracture in ductile materials observed in experiments.     

Implementation of cyclic plasticity models based on a general form of kinematic hardening

This paper deals with implementation of cyclic plastic constitutive models in which a general form of strain hardening and dynamic recovery is employed to represent the multilinear, as well as non‐linear, evolution of back stress. First, in order to incorporate such a general form of kinematic hardening in finite element methods, successive substitution and its convergence are discussed for implicitly integrating stress; moreover, a new expression of consistent tangent modulus is derived by introducing a set of fourth‐rank constitutive parameters into discretized kinematic hardening. Then, the constitutive parameters introduced are specified in three cases of the general form of kinematic hardening; the three cases have distinct capabilities of simulating ratcheting and cyclic stress relaxation. Numerical examples are given to verify the convergence in successive substitution and the new expression of consistent tangent stiffness. Error maps for implicitly integrating stress under non‐proportional as well as proportional loading are also given to show that the multilinear case of the general form provides high accuracy even if strain increment is very large. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Gradient crystal plasticity as part of the computational modelling of polycrystals

This paper describes how gradient hardening can, in a thermodynamically consistent fashion, be included into a crystal plasticity model. By assuming that the inelastic part of the free energy includes contributions from the gradient of hardening along each slip direction, a hardening stress due to the second derivative of the hardening along each slip direction can be derived. For a finite element model of the grain structure a coupled problem with displacements and gradient hardening variables as degrees of freedom is thereby obtained. This problem is solved using a dual mixed approach. In particular, an algorithm suitable for parallelization is presented, where each grain is treated as a subproblem. The numerical results show that the macroscopic strength increases with decreasing grain size as a result of gradient hardening. Finally, the results of different prolongation assumptions, i.e. how to impose the macroscopic deformation gradient on a representative volume element, are compared. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Steady-state crack growth and fracture work based on the theory of mechanism-based strain gradient plasticity

Mode I steady-state crack growth is analyzed under plane strain conditions in small scale yielding. The elastic-plastic solid is characterized by the mechanism-based strain gradient (MSG) plasticity theory [J. Mech. Phys. Solids 47 (1999) 1239, J. Mech. Phys. Solids 48 (2000) 99]. The distributions of the normal separation stress and the effective stress along the plane ahead of the crack tip are computed using a special finite element method based on the steady-state fundamental relations and the MSG flow theory. The results show that during the steady-state crack growth, the normal separation stress on the plane ahead of the crack tip can achieve considerably high value within the MSG strain gradient sensitive zone. The results also show that the crack tip fields are insensitive to the cell size parameter in the MSG theory. Moreover, in the present research, the steady-state fracture toughness is computed by adopting the embedded process zone (EPZ) model. The results display that the steady-state fracture toughness strongly depends on the separation strength parameter of the EPZ model and the length scale parameter in the MSG theory. Furthermore, in order for the results of steady crack growth to be comparable, an approximate relation between the length scale parameters in the MSG theory and in the Fleck-Hutchinson strain gradient plasticity theory is obtained.     

运用应变梯度塑性理论模拟颗粒增强铝合金强度及延伸率的尺寸效应

运用基于细观机制的应变梯度塑性理论模拟了不同晶粒尺度、不同第二相颗粒直径及体积分数的铝合金应力应变曲线.结果表明,在相同条件下,随着第二相颗粒直径的减小,或随着第二相体积分数的增加,合金的强度明显增强.相反,随着第二相颗粒体积分数的增加,或随着第二相颗粒直径的减小,合金的均匀延伸率均有所下低.同时对不同晶粒尺寸的铝合金应力应变相应的分析表明,第二相颗粒分布的不均匀性对其力学性能也有一定的影响.     

考虑位错密度和损伤的NiCoCrFe高熵合金晶体塑性有限元分析EI北大核心CSCD

结合实验和晶体塑性有限元方法研究准静态加载NiCoCrFe高熵合金有限变形过程中的宏观和微观力学响应、损伤行为以及微观结构演化。使用电子背散射衍射技术(EBSD)对拉伸实验变形前后NiCoCrFe的微观结构进行表征。通过修改强化模型和流动准则分别在CPFEM模型中引入位错密度内部状态变量和连续介质损伤因子,并结合拉伸实验应力-应变曲线确定NiCoCrFe相关的模型参数。结果表明:考虑位错密度和损伤的CPFEM模型可以有效地描述NiCoCrFe宏观和微观力学响应。CPFEM模型合理预测NiCoCrFe颈缩区域的变形形状和尺寸,其中实验获得的颈缩区域长度比预测结果小7%,CPFEM预测的颈缩区域宽度比实验结果大23%。CPFEM模型预测NiCoCrFe拉伸变形后的织构演化同EBSD表征结果大致相同,均表现为弱的(100)∥RD以及强的(111)∥RD纤维织构。在三维微观结构损伤分析中,CPFEM模型预测的损伤在应力集中以及位错密度集中的晶界处萌生,表现为晶间损伤机制,并且随着变形的增加损伤逐渐向晶粒内部扩展。     

Implicit iterative finite element scheme for a strain gradient crystal plasticity model based on self-energy of geometrically necessary dislocations

In this study, an implicit iterative finite element scheme is developed for the strain gradient theory of single-crystal plasticity that accounts for the self-energy of geometrically necessary dislocations (GNDs). This strain gradient theory belongs to the Gurtin framework for viscoplastic single-crystals. The self-energy of GNDs gives a specific form of energetic higher-order stresses. An implicit finite element equation is obtained for solving a set of homogenization equations. The developed scheme is employed to analyze a model grain, and is verified by comparison with the analytical estimation derived by Ohno and Okumura (2007) [4]. The computational efficiency of the scheme and the incremental stability are discussed. Furthermore, it is shown that the developed scheme is available and applicable to different types of higher-order stresses including energetic and dissipative terms.