This thesis sought to investigate and develop valid numerical approaches to predict ductile fracture under different stress state and loading conditions.
As the first portion of this work, the plastic flow and fracture behaviors of three aluminum alloys (5083-H116, 6082-T6 and 5183 weld metal) under the effects of strain rate and temperature were studied through a series of experiments and finite element analyses. The fracture behavior under the influential factor of stress triaxiality was also studied. The applicability of the Johnson-Cook plasticity and fracture models were investigated with mixed results. For all three materials, the dependency of the failure strain on triaxiality is adequately described.
The stress state effect on plasticity and ductile fracture behaviors was further explored for aluminum alloy 5083-H116 through tests on plane strain specimens and torsion specimens, focusing on the third deviatoric stress invariant (lode angle). A stress state dependent plasticity model, J2-J3 model, together with the Xue-Wierzbicki fracture criterion which defined the damage parameter as a function of the stress triaxiality and the Lode angle, was implemented and calibrated with the test data. The calibrated model was utilized to study the residual stress effect on ductile fracture resistance, using compact tension specimens with residual stress fields generated from a local out-of-plane compression approach. Fracture tests with positive and negative residual stresses were conducted on the C(T) specimens. Both experimental and finite element results showed significant effect of residual stress on ductile fracture resistance.
In an attempt to predict ductile fracture under shear-dominated conditions, this study combined the damage mechanics concept with the Gurson-Tvergaard-Needleman porous plasticity model that accounts for void nucleation, growth and coalescence. The GTN model was extended by coupling two damage parameters, representing volumetric damage and shear damage respectively, into the yield function and flow potential. The new model was validated through a series of numerical tests in comparison with existing GTN type models, and applied to predict the ductile fracture behaviors of a beta-treated Zircaloy-4. With model parameters calibrated using experimental data, the model was able to predict failure initiation and propagation in various specimens experiencing a wide range of stress states.