Constitutive modeling for ductile metals behavior incorporating strain rate, temperature and damage mechanics

One the most serious limitation to an extensive use of computational techniques in simulating and predicting structures and components behavior under dynamic loading is given by the inadequacy of constitutive models to fairly represent failure process. In this paper a new constitutive model for ductile metals has been developed using the innovative solid state equation proposed by Milella (1998) and the non-linear damage model proposed by Bonora (1997). These two models are physically based and require a very limited number of constants that can be experimentally identified according to the procedures given by the authors. The implementation of the model in commercial finite element code is simple and cost effective with respect to similar nucleation and growth (NAG) models with the additional feature that hydrostatic pressure effect on ductile damage is correctly taken into account.